Silence
by BK Love-ah
Summary: Sofia's father hid her from the world's dangers. When he is killed by the Thin Man for embezzlement, the silent assassin takes Sofia with him. Unwilling to let her go, he finds himself in a tough spot when it comes to dealing with her. This story will be dark is some parts. Don't like, don't read. I DO NOT OWN THE THIN MAN OR CHARLIE'S ANGELS, only my original characters.
1. Chapter 1

_**Here's chapter 1. I hope you like it.**_

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_1998_

"Dad?"

Edward Vollan turned to look at his nineteen-year-old daughter.

"Hmm?"

"Why d'you keep doing that? Every time I bring up something you don't like, you ignore me."

Edward closed his eyes, sighing deeply.

"Sofia, I've told you many times. It's really dangerous out there."

"It's L.A.," Sofia exclaimed, stretching her arms out. "This is like crime central! If you don't like it here, why don't we move?"

"The company transferred me here, and we need to stay until we hear differently."

"Then can't I at least go out into civilized culture for the time being? If you keep me locked up in here forever, I'll turn into one of those little old ladies who never move except to pee."

Getting up to pace around, Edward looked at his daughter.

"I don't like getting into this all the time, I already told you. There are people in the world who want nothing but to guzzle up everyone's money. Why do you think I homeschooled you and didn't let you go off to college? There's dark corners in every town."

Sofia frowned, and Edward's expression softened. He stepped towards her and cradled her face in his hands.

"I know it's been tough, not being able to make a lot of friends. But I'm just trying to protect you."

Staring at her father, Sofia sighed in slight understanding. After a moment, she nodded.

"That's my girl," Edward said with a smile. "Now you'd better go to bed if you want to be well rested for your test tomorrow."

"Dad," Sofia said with a roll of her eyes, "I always ace your tests. Why bother giving them?"

"So you always feel challenged. Scram."

Edward smiled jokingly as Sofia left his office, shutting the door behind her. He waited until he heard her ascending the staircase before turning and moving the bookshelf over, revealing a vault-like door. After he punched in the code, the door swung open.

His concealed lab was just as he left it. The computers were up and running, and everything was in good shape. Edward glanced at the mansion's security camera monitor, making sure Sofia was in bed before turning to his keyboard. With a few clicks of the buttons, his online accounts started filling by the second.

He smiled, but turned to look at the monitor once more. As he watched his daughter climb into bed, he felt a bit guilty.

_I've always told her about the dangers of people stealing money, and here I am…_

He shook the feeling away as he typed in a few more hacking codes.

_Oh, well. I'm doing this for her anyways. Now she'll be set for life once I'm gone._

As Edward continued his work, he had no idea that he was being monitored.

OOOOOOOOOOO

About half an hour away, Anthony sat in his house with the lights off. His own computer screen was lit up in his office, getting full surveillance of Mr. Vollan's activities. Smiling slightly, Anthony burned with confidence at his upcoming assignment. His anonymous friend had decided that Vollan had taken enough money, and that he should be dealt with. Naturally, with the promised price, Anthony was all too happy to take the job.

Having all he needed, he downloaded the information onto his memory chip before closing the window down. He clicked on one of the icons, bringing up the family's personal information.

When he started on the assignment months earlier, Anthony found out that Vallon's wife, Ilsa, had died in childbirth. He was further surprised at the extensity of Edward's embezzlement crimes. A few times, his hand had itched to feel the handle of his sword, but he was able to restrain himself. The time would come, and he greatly looked forward to ending the greedy man's life.

But when he had first discovered Sofia's profile, he felt differently. Her father hadn't sent her to school, but she seemed desperate for any human contact. The list of bake sales, animal shelter fundraisers, and all sorts of charity events she had worked at was almost too long for Anthony to read. It had shocked him when he first read it, and as he scrolled through the girl's profile now, he couldn't help but stare at her.

According to her email account, she was ushering at a local children's theatre on Friday night. Her father would be all alone, so it would be the perfect opportunity to take him out without having to harm his daughter.

_The world needs more people like you, Miss Vollan._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Dad!"

"You heard me, young lady. If your grades aren't satisfactory, you lose privileges."

"But I promised them I'd usher. I'm supposed to be there now!"

"You know the rules."

Burning with anger, Sofia let out a frustrated growl before turning and storming out of the office.

"God! You're ruining my life!"

Edward shook his head lightly before turning back to his desk. Sure, she had gotten one C- on a single quiz, but he took any opportunity to keep her safe inside the house.

He sat down and opened the drawer, pulling out his pack of cigarettes. Picking one out, he reached into his pocket for his lighter…

Suddenly, it felt as if a piece of thread had been drawn across his throat. Pain overflowed him, but as he opened his mouth to scream, nothing came out but a slight bubbly noise. He barely noticed the blood soaking the front of his shirt before the vision left his eyes completely.

Edward slumped down into his chair, dying before his cigarette hit the floor.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Anthony looked vainly at the dead man as he wiped the blood off his thin sword. Then, he slid the bookcase over and entered the secret room. After gathering all of the necessary files and drives, he put them into his pocket. Just before opening the door, he heard a blood-curdling scream.

He glanced at the camera monitor and saw that Sofia was in the office, staring at her father's corpse. Anthony's heart started to pound.

_What? She's not supposed to be here!_

As Sofia ran out, Anthony knew where she was headed. There was another monitor in the hallway, and one would be able to look at past footage on the screen. Without a word, he left the room and quietly pursued.

When he turned the corner, Sofia's back was turned towards him as she pressed a few buttons next to the monitor. Panicked, Anthony reached into the chest pocket of his suit, pulling out a handkerchief.

_She'll see me! I don't want to hurt her…_

As a cloth was suddenly covering her nose, Sofia started to struggle frantically. However, a strong arm around her waist restricted her movements greatly. Before too long, she was out.

Anthony gently placed her down and stepped towards the monitor. With a few clicks of a button, the tape popped out and he placed it into his pocket. Just as he was about to find a way out, he turned back to Sofia.

He suddenly started to feel worried.

_I can't leave the tape, but if I leave her here, the cops will think she did it._

Anthony looked at her for a few more moments before walking over, picking her up, and climbing out a nearby window.

**000000000000**

_**Let me know what you think.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Here's chapter 2. Read on.**_

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After returning to his house, Anthony plugged the security tape into his computer and looked through it. When he saw the argument between Sofia and her father, he was glad he chose to take her with him.

_That could've been seen as a possible motive._

He put the tape into the desk drawer before turning to the other materials he had taken from the mansion. After putting them into a manila envelope and sealing it up, he put the given address onto it and went outside, placing it into his mailbox.

Anthony walked back inside, making sure to lock the door behind him. It was around midnight, so it was still pretty dark. There was no telling what kind of creeps could be lurking around. He walked over to the computer in the hallway and made sure the security system was on; his house wasn't very big, but his profession made it necessary for him to take certain precautions. He turned off the hall lights before going upstairs to his bedroom.

Sofia was still unconscious. Anthony had placed her onto his bed once he arrived back home, and he had given her a very sizeable dose of chloroform. He wanted her to sleep for as long as possible, since she would be very upset once she woke up.

Anthony slipped his suit off and climbed onto the bed, carefully settling down next to her. He stared at her sleeping form, and her smooth chestnut hair caught his eye. It took every bit of his restraint to keep him from reaching out to touch it. All he could do was lie there, unsure of the situation.

_What should I do with you now?_

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Her eyelids fluttered slightly before opening completely. After glancing around for a few seconds, Sofia realized she wasn't in her home. She sat up, resting her elbows on the unfamiliar bed. The room was big, but not very bright. The walls seemed to be made of wood, and the floor was the same. There was a large glass door leading to some kind of balcony.

Sofia got up and walked over, but just as she was trying to open the door, she saw how high up she was. It wouldn't be a good idea for her to jump. There was another door near the front of the room. She tried to turn the knob, but it was locked. Just as she noticed one other door leading to a bathroom, her head spun and her stomach churned. She was barely able to reach the toilet in time as she vomited into the porcelain bowl.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem that the bathroom was attached to any other passages except for the room Sofia woke up in. She got up off the ground and slowly made her way back into the room. As she walked, the memories of the previous night returned to her.

_I was looking through the tapes, but someone grabbed me. And Dad…_

Tears filled her eyes as she sat down on the bed, wrapping her frail arms around herself. Sure, she was mad at her father, but she didn't want him to die.

Just then, the main door started to open. Sofia gasped slightly as a man walked in, shutting the door behind him. He was tall, and a bit weird looking. His eyebrows were arched up, and he wore a black suit. He had a slightly hooked nose, and his hair was dark and straight, a bit longer near the front. The man looked intensely at Sofia and slowly walked towards her. However, he paused when Sofia put up her hands.

"Wait!" she said, her tears nearly overflowing. "Stay away!"

He put his hands up, as if trying to say that he meant no harm. Sofia looked at him, not knowing what was on his mind.

"Who are you?"

Then, the man pointed at his mouth and shook his head. It took a few seconds for Sofia to understand what he was doing.

"What, you can't talk?"

He shook his head again before walking over to the nightstand. Sofia tensed up, but relaxed when she saw him open the drawer and take out a notepad. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen, clicking it on before writing something onto the paper.

After he was done, the man slowly approached Sofia again. She tightened her hold on herself as her visitor hesitantly sat down on the other side of the bed. He never took his eyes away from her as he showed her the pad. Sofia swallowed before looking at what he had written.

**"I'm not going to hurt you."**

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Anthony restrained his breathing, afraid that the slightest sound would send the girl into hysterics. He watched her read his message momentarily before glancing back at him.

"Okay, well…what d'you want with me? Who are you?"

After writing out his answers, Anthony showed Sofia the pad once more.

**"My name is Anthony. You're here for your own protection."**

"Wait, does this have to do with what happened to my dad?" After Anthony nodded, Sofia continued. "Why was he killed? Who did it?"

He wrote again and showed her the pad.

**"I'm not sure who killed your father, but I was told he had made some enemies due to his embezzling."**

Sofia glared disbelievingly at Anthony.

"What? No, you're wrong. My dad was in the computer business. He wasn't a con man!"

Anthony lowered his eyes before writing once again.

**"I understand this is hard for you to take in right now, but I'm just telling you what I know."**

"Well, tell me whatever you want, but it's crap. I'm leaving."

Sofia got up, but before she reached the door, Anthony got up and grabbed her arm. She looked up at him and tried to yank herself free, but he took her other arm as well, shaking his head firmly.

"Let go of me! I just want to go home. My dad needs a funeral, and my family…"

She trailed off as Anthony led her back to the bed and sat her down, holding up his hand firmly while reaching for his pad. He wrote for a few more moments and showed her.

**"You ****can't**** leave here. It's too dangerous. They might target you as well."**

Sofia looked down, trying to hide her falling tears. Not wanting to see her upset, Anthony wrote something else, tapping her shoulder gently to draw her attention to it.

**"It won't be for very long. The police just need to straighten everything out, and then you can go home. I'm sorry."**

Sofia gazed at Anthony for a few seconds, not sure about trusting him. He wrote one more thing.

**"Breakfast?"**

Just then, Sofia noticed her growling stomach. After hesitating for a few moments, she lowered her head and nodded.

OOOOOOOOOOO

After leading her downstairs to his kitchen, Anthony fixed some cereal for Sofia. She didn't eat cereal very often, but she forced herself to accept the bowl from her mysterious host. Anthony closed the box and put it back on the shelf before taking out a cup. He poured some milk into it and offered it to his guest, who hesitantly took it.

Sofia slowly chewed her cereal. Her appetite was obvious, but her apprehension made it hard for her to eat. Still, not wanting to upset Anthony, she lowered her head, taking another small bite.

This behavior didn't go unnoticed by Anthony, so he wrote something on his pad and showed it to the girl.

**"Don't be afraid of me."**

Sofia looked up at him, still unsure of him.

"Okay. I'm sorry, I just…this is all really intense."

Anthony nodded in understanding. While waiting for the girl to finish her cereal, his eyes became entranced by her straight locks. The morning sun was leaking in a bit from a window above the refrigerator, so the dormant red highlights were exposed.

He was able to pull himself together just as Sofia finished eating. Anthony wrote something else down and showed her.

**"If you'd like, you can tell me what foods you eat and I can run to the store."**

"Oh. Um, all right. Thanks."

Anthony sat down at the table as she began.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

After hearing what she ate, Anthony led her back into the bedroom, telling her to stay there until he returned. Sofia obeyed, not wanting to make a false move. When he got back, he had brought everything she asked for. He even picked up a small tube of toothpaste along with a toothbrush, as he'd forgotten to ask her what brand she liked.

He mostly left her alone for the rest of the day, only seeing her when he made her lunch and dinner. Once it got dark, it was time to go back to the room.

When he saw her standing next to the bed, Anthony suddenly remembered something. After rubbing his forehead for a moment, he wrote on his pad again.

**"I'm sorry, I completely forgot to get you pajamas."**

Sofia thought of it as well, and she shared his look of self-scolding.

"It's okay."

**"I'll get some tomorrow, along with other temporary clothes."**

Sofia nodded as Anthony walked over to his closet. He skimmed through his clothing for a moment and finally found something, yanking it out. It was a long cotton T-shirt.

_Yes, this should do for tonight._

He walked over to Sofia and held out the shirt. Sofia hesitated for a second before taking it.

"Thanks."

Anthony turned away as she changed out of her clothes. A very small part of him was tempted to peek, but he suppressed it. Sofia slowly climbed into bed as Anthony took his pajamas and went into the bathroom. He was done in less than a minute. As he walked to the bed and started to pull back the covers, Sofia suddenly got up and backed away. Anthony carefully slipped in, not taking his eyes away from her. After a few moments, he patted the empty space next to him.

"You want me to…?"

He almost chuckled at the girl's terrified expression as he wrote on his pad.

**"How can I keep you safe if we're in separate rooms? I'm not going to do anything, so just lay down."**

Sofia stood where she was for a while before tentatively climbing back into bed, staying as far to one side as possible. Despite her nervousness, she fell asleep rather quickly. Anthony looked at her for a while, taking in her relaxed face.

_Such a frightened, fragile girl. But so pretty as well…_

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_**I hope you liked this one.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**And here's chapter 3. I hope you like it!**_

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After making her breakfast, Anthony told Sofia that she could explore his home while he was gone. However, he warned her not to go outside.

Sofia took him up on that offer once he left. Truth be told, there wasn't much to look at. There was some sort of computer monitor in the hallway, similar to the one her father had. But Sofia figured that his security was tight because of his profession. The other rooms had the basic furniture that anywhere else would have, and there weren't any paintings or pictures hanging from the walls.

She eventually found a room near the main doorway. There were a few chairs, along with a sofa and a bookcase. It looked like a library. Sofia was about to walk in when the front door started to open. She made her way to the base of the staircase just as Anthony walked in with a few paper bags. He looked at her and smiled, motioning for her to go upstairs. Sofia complied, making a mental note to visit the library next time she was alone.

OOOOOOOOOOO

The clothes fit very well, but Sofia couldn't help but wonder how he knew her exact size. She had been wearing an usher uniform, which was all she had. It wasn't her correct size. Still, as strong as her curiousity was, she didn't feel comfortable asking a lot of questions about it.

That night, she put on her new pajamas and got into bed. They were very comfortable, but Sofia couldn't help but notice that they were the exact brand that she always got.

_How the heck does he know…?_

Anthony came out of the bathroom, already clad in his nightclothes. Sofia looked at him as he climbed under the covers beside her.

"Um, Anthony?" He glanced at her. "Can I ask you something?" After a few moments, he nodded. "What exactly do you do?"

Confused, he shifted his position and shook his head slightly.

"I mean, I keep seeing witness protection stuff in movies. The whole process seems a lot more…official. Nobody has come by to make updates or anything, and the police haven't gotten a statement from me. I'm just confused as to what's supposed to be happening."

Anthony looked at her for a very long time before reaching for his pad. He wrote for a couple minutes and showed it to her.

**"I'd hoped to not have to tell you this, but the police in your area seem to think that you're responsible for your father's death."**

Sofia's eyes widened.

"What? Why'd they think that? The security tape in the monitor, didn't they find it? I'm sure it shows who really did it, and it wasn't me!"

**"I know. Whoever killed your father took the tape with them when they escaped. Because of the current suspicions about you, the private protection program I work for has ordered that you be kept completely hidden until they find the perpetrator and look through the tape. You'll be declared innocent, and then you can leave."**

Sighing deeply, Sofia looked down. Anthony read her face and wrote again.

**"It's been a few days since my employer contacted me. They can't write me too much, since the police might intercept the emails. It might be a while, but I'll tell you the moment I hear any news. Okay?"**

After looking at Anthony for a few more minutes, Sofia nodded.

"All right."

She settled down and rested her head against the pillows, allowing her fatigue to consume her.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

A month and a half went by, and nothing happened. Anthony felt a bit guilty for lying to Sofia about all that was going on, but it was the best he could think of. He still wasn't sure about what would happen, since the police weren't looking for any other suspect except for Sofia.

_If I turn in the tape to clear her, they'll know it was me, and so will she. I can't let that happen…_

His guest had been restless for the past few days, and the whole situation was making him jumpy as well. He became paranoid to the point where he didn't leave the house; he started using his contacts to have food shipped to him instead of going out and getting it.

Despite this, Anthony found himself more and more drawn to Sofia. She was so sweet and innocent in his eyes. After a while, she became comfortable with him and started sharing things about herself. Naturally, he already knew all the answers to the questions he asked her, but he didn't want her to know he did.

So he listened patiently as she told him about her life. Her father was Norwegian, while her mother was American with Irish ancestry. But she barely had any opportunities to learn about her two heritages, as her father kept her out of school her entire life. He taught her about math, science, physics, and geography. Since she grew up around computers, Sofia was also able to learn a bit about them.

Still, she took every chance she got to get out in the open and meet other people. Since a lot of local activities were for enrolled students only, all she could do was volunteer work. But she grew to love every aspect of what she did, especially if it involved making a difference and helping people. But her father's "business" required the family to move around a lot, so just as she made a new friend, it was always time to move on.

Anthony already knew all of this, but hearing it from her affected him greatly. He felt that he was similar to her. His parents were killed when he was very young, and the Catholic school that brought him up the rest of the way wasn't particularly welcoming. The nuns were friendly enough, but the other kids shunned him because of his odd demeanor. His trust diminished, and he simply chose not to talk. Since the death of his family, he hadn't uttered a single word.

As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself, Anthony was developing very strong feelings for her. She was so kind, and so alone.

_Just like me…_

But he knew she wasn't stupid. He felt it was best to keep feeding her fish tales about why it was taking so long.

_And maybe, if enough time passes, she won't want to leave me._

OOOOOOOOOO

It had been a little over three months, and Sofia was almost out of her mind. She didn't mind Anthony's company, but being cooped up inside the house was all too familiar to her. On top of that, she hadn't gotten a lot of time to herself.

Then, one morning, Anthony told her that he was going out to look at cars, and that he might be a while. In reality, he had gotten a new assignment that paid a very handsome price, and he was thinking of surprising Sofia with a television set to ease her boredom.

After bidding her good-bye, Anthony took his cane and left.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Sofia was secretly grateful for this free time. All she really wanted to do was walk around a bit and stretch out her limbs. She merely paced around the various rooms for the first half hour, as it was her only source of exercise. After passing the staircase, Sofia noticed the nearby library.

_Oh, that's right! I completely forgot…I've never been in there._

She walked into the room and looked around. It was the most interesting place in the house that she'd seen so far. There was a nice-looking window above the sofa, and the bookcase was practically stuffed with all sorts of novels. Sofia stepped over and looked at them. There were fairy tales, old stories written in past centuries, and a few historical textbooks.

_Wow…_

She stepped forward to take a closer look, gripping the side of the bookcase. Suddenly, she felt a slight bump underneath her finger. A small part of her brain thought it was a piece of gum, or maybe a nail, but her finger pressed down out of impulse.

Sofia jumped back as a section of the wooden wall beside the books swung open. For a moment, she wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her. However, as she took a few shaky steps towards the previously hidden space, it became much more real.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

_Gosh…Dad, it's like you exploded in here…_

The room was nearly packed with rows of file cabinets, all securely locked. Near the back, there was a large metal desk with a computer system on top of it, complete with a monitor screen. The top of the desk was littered with papers and a notebook. As she stepped closer to it, Sofia looked around.

There were a few bulletin boards on the surrounding walls, and they were blanketed with various newspaper clippings. All of them displayed headlines about extreme crimes all around Los Angeles. Sofia's eyes skimmed the headlines.

_"Millionaire's Home Goes up in Flames," "Respected Senator Found Dead in Apparent Suicide," "Embezzler Vollan Found Dead; Daughter Nowhere to be Found"…_

She blinked a few times before grabbing the clipping off the board and reading it.

_"After receiving files and computer chips from an unknown source, it has been confirmed that Norwegian businessman Edward Vollan has been_ _robbing money all over the states for almost twenty years. He was found dead in his home with a slit throat. Sofia Vollan, 19, has gone missing. As she is the prime suspect of the crime, police are on full alert…"_

After a few more moments, Sofia couldn't read anymore. She sat down in the chair in front of the computer, numb with shock.

_Dad…you always told me about the thieves out there, and __**you**__ were one of them?!_

As heartbroken and betrayed as she felt, Sofia still grieved for him.

_He definitely deserved to go to jail for all of this. But he certainly didn't deserve to die…_

Just then, she spotted something familiar. Underneath the computer screen, there was a little rectangular shape. Sofia reached out and took it, recognizing it as a small tape.

_Wait…this label and security number…it's from our house!_

Looking around, she saw a little tape player underneath the desk. After popping it in, she turned on the monitor and recognized the black-and-white images of her house. There were eight miniature screens, each showing a different room. It looked to be around two hours before her fight with Edward, so she fast-forwarded a little bit.

Sofia's heart pounded as she prepared to see who killed her father. She pressed play just in time.

"_God! You're ruining my life!_" the screen played, and it showed her angrily leaving the room. Her father eventually sat at his desk and took out his cigarettes. Just then, Sofia noticed a dark figure approaching her father from a nearby window. She covered her mouth to stifle her horrified cry as the figure took a sword out of his cane and cut Edward's neck. The room was dimly lit, so it was hard for her to see who it was.

Thinking quickly, she fast-forwarded a bit more, stopping at the part where she found her father dead. She watched the screen as it showed her running into the hallway and looking at the monitor. The dark figure snuck up behind her and knocked her out. Just then, the mystery person's face turned to a point where Sofia could see it. She quickly freeze-framed it, and after taking a breath, she pressed a few keys to zoom in.

_All right, you bastard. Who are you?_

As the cropped image slowly became more focused, Sofia's heart dropped as she recognized Anthony's face. She covered her mouth, pure horror coursing through her.

_And that cane…it's the same one he took with him today!_

She glanced around at the headlines, wondering if he'd killed all of them. Her eyes traveled back to the computer screen before looking down at the desk. She noticed her name on several of the papers, and as she examined them more thoroughly, the fear within her increased.

_My birthday, my birth certificate, my height, my clothing size…how did he get all of this?_

Just then, Sofia found herself unable to move.

_Oh, God…he's probably planning to kill me, too. I have to get out!_

She got up and turned to leave, and froze. Anthony stood in the doorway, an equally terrified look on his face.

**00000000000000**

_**Yikes! Let me know what you think.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Here's the next one. Read on.**_

**0000000000000**

The two of them stared at each other for a few moments. It pained Anthony to see Sofia in his office, surrounded by all the grisly details of her father's murder. He had hoped to spare her from learning the truth about Edward's crimes, but his pain was mostly caused by her finding out about _him_.

_Now she'll never love me…_

He took the smallest of steps forward, but Sofia jumped back, putting the chair in front of her.

"Get _back!_" she shouted, tears stinging her eyes. "Stay away from me!"

Anthony carefully put his cane down and raised both hands, keeping his eyes on her. Sofia glanced from the cane back to him a few times.

"Is his blood still on it?"

Looking down for one moment, Anthony took another cautious step towards the terrified girl. She continued backing away, but she eventually found herself pressing against the corner of the room. Closing her eyes tightly, she covered her face with her hands as Anthony closed the distance between them.

Sofia expected her death to come quickly, but instead, she felt Anthony's hands grasp her wrists firmly and pull them away from her face. She kept her eyes shut, but when his hands moved to cup her cheeks, it was too much to bear. Turning away, Sofia thrashed her arms around violently, trying to fight him off. Anthony grabbed her elbows and pulled her towards him, wrapping one arm around hers to keep her still. He put the other arm underneath her legs and lifted her up.

As she was carried out of the room and up the stairs, Sofia struggled with all her might. Unfortunately, her petite form was no match for Anthony's strength. She sobbed as he brought her into the bedroom and placed her onto the bed. As soon as he let go of her, Sofia immediately went to get up. But Anthony was too fast for her. He pulled her back, holding her tightly against him from behind and resting his head against hers. No matter how hard she kicked and screamed, Sofia couldn't get away.

After a few minutes of this, she had to stop. All she could do was try to catch her breath and cry at the same time. Anthony started to gently rock her back and forth, cooing softly in her ear.

"Let **go!** Get away…"

"_Shhhh_…"

Several more minutes went by as Sofia gradually got her breath back. She tried to struggle again, but Anthony's hold on her was too strong.

"You killed him," she whispered. "You killed my dad…"

Anthony slowly loosened his grip, and when she didn't struggle, he stood and got his pad before sitting back down again.

**"It was just a job. Nothing personal."**

"Just a…? Well, you could've left me there to take the fall for it. Why didn't you?"

After looking at the heartbroken girl for a moment, Anthony wrote out his answer.

**"I knew how kind, generous, and completely unlike him you were. You didn't deserve prison."**

Revulsion and disgust ran through Sofia, and she got up from the bed.

"But _he_ deserved to _die?_" Before Anthony could say anything, she spoke again. "I saw those clippings. You've killed so many people and got rid of all the witnesses, but you couldn't kill _me?_ Why? Because you looked up all my personal information and thought I'd _connect_ with you?"

Her words pained Anthony greatly, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of anger.

"I volunteered for all that stuff because I chose to, because I wanted to _help_ people and make their lives better. I'm nothing like you, Anthony. You kill people for money, and you don't even feel bad about it! How could you _possibly_ think we're alike?"

Staring at the furious girl, Anthony felt tears of sadness and rage sting his eyes. He tried to hold them back by looking at her coldly.

"Why'd you even bother keeping me alive?"

While waiting for an answer, Sofia noticed Anthony's expression soften a little bit. The look in his eyes told her everything, and out of nowhere, a horrid feeling of dread coursed through her body.

_He killed my father, and kept me around so he could charm his way into my pants?_

Without a word, she darted towards the door. But the assassin was too quick. He seized her just as her fingers touched the doorknob. She clawed and kicked as she was dragged towards the bed.

"Don't touch me! _Stop!_"

But it was no use. Anthony pulled her towards him and trapped both her hands behind her back with one of his. Before she had a chance to kick at him, he pushed her down onto the bed and draped his legs over hers, pinning her down. Sofia tried to squirm away, but Anthony pressed his free hand against the girl's forehead. He held her still in a firm but gentle hold, using his thumb to wipe a few tears from her eyes.

"Why…why haven't you killed me?" Sofia begged, her terrified sobs breaking loose. "If you're going to rape me, just do it!"

At this, Anthony slowly shook his head, a pained look on his face. He continued stroking her forehead in a soothing manner for a few moments before leaning in. Sofia froze momentarily as she felt her captor softly kissing her cheek. It took her a few seconds to process what was happening, but she immediately jerked her head away, cringing in revulsion.

"_No,_" she sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut.

Anthony reluctantly pulled back. After staring at her for a few moments, he slowly released her and reached for his pad. Sofia was too stunned to move. She could only lie there as Anthony wrote something.

**"I won't rape you, Sofia. I would never hurt you like that."**

"You're hurting me now," she replied, willing herself to calm down. "You killed my father, and then acted like you were trying to help me."

**"I ****am**** helping you. If I hadn't taken you with me, you'd be in jail right now."**

At this, Sofia sat up, glaring at him with utter disgust.

"What, you think I should be grateful?"

Anthony hesitated before writing his answer.

**"I don't think it would be entirely out of line. I could've left you to take the blame, I could've killed you…but I didn't."**

Sofia was silent for a little while before speaking again.

"Well," she said cautiously, "since the goodness of your heart compelled you to keep me safe, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I went on my merry way."

She got up, but before she could get too close to the door, Anthony raced over and stopped her.

"Let me **go!**" she screamed in his face, but he grasped her arms and shook his head. "If you're not going to rape or kill me, _what do you want?!_"

No matter what Sofia said or did, it was no use. Eventually, her squirming became too much for Anthony. He grabbed her shoulders and angrily tossed her back onto the bed. Overcome with anguish, Sofia hugged herself as her captor retrieved his pad once more.

**"I don't have to explain my motives. Like it or not, you're staying here."**

The girl could only glance at it for a moment before looking town, vainly trying to blink back her tears. At this, Anthony couldn't help but feel guilty again. He wrote something and waited for Sofia to look.

**"It doesn't have to be so horrible. I'll still feed you and clothe you. You'll practically be a guest."**

Staring up at him, Sofia slowly shook her head.

"I don't know when you last had willing company, but guests can leave when they want."

Anthony looked intensely at Sofia before responding.

**"It would be best for you to accept this, Sofia. You'll just make yourself miserable if you fight me. It's up to you."**

With that, he placed the pad onto the dresser and walked out the door, locking it behind him. All Sofia could do was sit there, overwhelmed with shock and pain.

OOOOOOOOOOO

She was left alone for the rest of the day. After about five-thirty, Anthony returned to ask if she wanted dinner. He reluctantly allowed it when she refused, but inside, he was concerned.

_She'd better not go on some sort of hunger strike…_

A couple hours later, it was time for bed. As Anthony changed in the bathroom, Sofia pulled her pajamas on and took her pillow, walking over next to the window. She put the pillow on the floor and lay down just as Anthony came back out. He started towards the bed, but froze when he saw Sofia on the ground.

_No, no, no. __**That**__ is not going to happen._

He went to Sofia's side of the bed and patted it, but she ignored him. Growing more annoyed by the second, he got his pad and wrote on it before walking over to her.

**"Come to bed, please."**

"I'm comfortable where I am," Sofia replied, not bothering to look at him.

Anthony took a moment to restrain his anger before writing down one final sentence.

**"If you don't come to bed right now, I'll carry you there."**

At this, Sofia hesitated. She somehow knew he wasn't bluffing, but at the same time, she didn't want to give in. Turning away, she closed her eyes.

"Screw you."

In less than a second, Anthony scooped Sofia into his arms and carried her towards the bed. She squirmed ferociously, but his hold on her was just as fierce. Eventually, he was able to wrestle her onto the bed and under the covers. After holding her still for a few minutes, Anthony walked over to his side of the bed and slipped under the sheets. Sofia reached her breaking point and instantly threw back the blankets, but she wasn't quick enough. Anthony wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him, wrapping his legs around hers.

"No, stop!" the girl wailed. "Let me go!"

She squirmed as fiercely as she could, but Anthony suppressed her struggles with ease. After a little while, her strength was spent. All poor Sofia could do was cry herself to sleep as Anthony tenderly ran his fingers through her hair.

_Sleep, little one._

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_**Let me know what you think.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**And here we are again. Read on.**_

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When Sofia woke up and found herself alone, she was relieved. However, her body was aching from her struggles the previous day. Even though she was alone, she still dreaded the moment her captor would inevitably disturb her temporary peace.

She laid back a bit, her thoughts drifting towards her father.

_Dad, how could you? I always thought you were some sort of avenging angel dedicated to protecting me from the world's evils, but this…this is just too much!_

Just then, the door opened. As Anthony walked in, Sofia's heart raced in fear. She pulled her knees up in front of her chest as the silent man approached her. Anthony gestured towards the open door, but the girl shook her head. He sighed deeply before taking out his pad again.

**"You have to eat."**

"I'm not hungry."

Anthony looked at her sternly and crossed his arms as he took a few more steps towards the bed. After a few tense seconds, he pointed towards the door one more time. But still, Sofia shook her head.

"Leave me alone! I said I wasn't hungry!"

Looking at her angrily, Anthony took a small breath.

**"This can't be an ongoing thing, Sofia. You'll have to eat at some point."**

Not bothering to answer, Sofia looked down and rested her head against her knees. Anthony watched her for a few more seconds before leaving the room once again.

As he went downstairs to gather some materials, he felt conflicted about what he could be forced to do.

_I don't want to hurt or scare her, but she needs to learn to respect me._

OOOOOOOOOOO

Sofia spent most of the day in the bedroom. As the afternoon arrived, she couldn't ignore the growling in her stomach any longer. Despite her hunger, she still didn't have the will to eat.

_Maybe I should just starve myself. That sounds better than being stuck here for the rest of my life._

Soon, the sun started to go down. Sofia had pulled the blankets over her and rolled onto her side, trying to suppress her pangs. She thought of old times, all the happy memories of her younger years. Anything to distract her from the present…

Suddenly, the door opened again. Anthony swiftly walked in, faced Sofia, and showed her the pad.

**"I'm going to ask this one more time. Will you please come downstairs and eat something?" **

Sofia turned away, trying to close her eyes again. However, the blankets were immediately pulled away as Anthony reached down and seized her arm.

"Stop!" the girl shrieked as she was dragged out the door. "Let go of me!"

But Anthony didn't let up. Eventually, he was able to force her down the stairs and into the kitchen. When she turned to look, Sofia's heart skipped a beat at what she saw.

There was a strong-looking wooden chair in front of the table with Velcro straps on the arms and legs. On the table, a thick plastic tube and a funnel laid ready for use. Sofia couldn't help but tremble as she stared at the frightening devices.

_Wait, he's…he's going to force-feed me?_

Tears of horror stung her eyes as she covered her face with her hands, shaking her head.

"No…"

Anthony took her shoulders and started leading her towards the chair. As soon as she started resisting, his arms wrapped tightly around her. Sofia immediately broke down as she was pulled towards the chair.

"Wait!" she wailed, her tears breaking loose. "Don't! I'll eat! I'll eat, just please don't do this!"

As soon as he heard this, Anthony's grip loosened. His expression became softer as he took the girl's shoulders and gently led her to one of the other chairs at the table. Looking down at her lap, Sofia sobbed weakly as she tried to wipe her tears away. Anthony kneeled next to her chair and laid a hand on her shoulder, using the other one to tenderly cup her face.

_Please don't cry. It breaks my heart to see you unhappy._

After a few moments, he got up and walked over to the refrigerator. Sofia accepted the bowl of yogurt he gave to her and forced it down, choking back her cries. Once she was finished, she placed the bowl onto the table and reluctantly allowed Anthony to lead her back upstairs. Once back in the bedroom, she sat on the bed and crossed her arms, looking down again. Anthony looked at her thoughtfully for a few moments before sitting next to her and taking out the pad.

**"You did the right thing. I hope you know, I truly wouldn't have wanted to force you."**

Sofia barely looked at it before turning away again. As Anthony started writing again, his face became serious.

**"But there's something you need to get through your head, Sofia. I've been lenient with you in light of what's happened, but your fits need to stop now. What's done is done, and as long as you are in my house, I will demand your complete respect. There are rules that need to be followed, and if you break those rules, there will be consequences."**

Sofia had an urge to roll her eyes, but she managed to hold it down. As if he'd seen right through her, Anthony wrote something else, causing Sofia to sigh and look away once more.

**"First of all, please look at me while I'm addressing you."**

After taking a deep breath, Sofia forced herself to meet Anthony's eyes.

**"That's better. You're still free to walk around the house as much as you'd like, but you are not to make any escape attempts. I'll take you for short walks outside every now and then, but other than that, you may not leave the house. You are to eat your meals when I give them to you. I let you off easy today, but if you ever refuse to eat again, I ****will**** force-feed you, whether you change your mind or not. Understand?"**

Suppressing a shudder, Sofia nodded. Noticing the fear in her eyes, Anthony relaxed his face a bit as he continued.

**"That being said, I don't want you to feel like you can't talk to me about anything. I'll always listen to what you have to say. If you need anything, I'll do everything I can to get it for you. And if you have any problems, just talk to me about it. But while I will always hear you out, I must ask that you be polite to me. I won't tolerate rudeness. But I understand that you'll be upset with this whole situation sometimes, just as you're upset now. You're welcome to let your feelings loose with me, but if you have nothing but disrespectful things to say, don't say them."**

After waiting a few moments, Sofia nodded in understanding. Anthony looked at her, smiling gently. But then, he noticed more tears in her eyes.

**"I'm not trying to upset you, okay? As long as you follow my rules, you have nothing to worry about."**

"But…" Sofia stuttered, terrified. "If I made a mistake, will you…_torture _me?"

Anthony immediately shook his head before writing again.

**"No, no, no. I won't cause you any unbearable or lasting harm. Your punishments would be unpleasant, and perhaps a bit painful depending on how severe your offense is. But I'd like it to not reach the point where I would have to punish you."**

Sofia nodded, looking down for a brief moment before glancing back at Anthony.

_What can I do? I feel like a child with all his ridiculous rules, but I'd rather not find out what'll happen if I go against him…_

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

That night, Anthony was having trouble sleeping. Sofia had been asleep for an hour or two, but despite her peaceful expression, Anthony was deeply worried.

_I really didn't mean to scare her. I won't tolerate anything but utter respect from her, but that doesn't mean I want her to live in fear of me. She's far too kind and innocent to be afraid all the time… _

Anthony shifted over so he was next to the sleeping girl. He carefully reached out and touched her hair, rubbing a lock between his fingers before leaning down to inhale its scent. The vanilla-like aroma was enchanting, and he closed his eyes…

_Snap out of it! If she wakes up and finds you in this…state, she'll be scarred for life!_

He forced himself to release her hair and roll back to his side of the bed. His body was on fire with want. Still, Anthony tried to think about other things, but no matter what, all he could see was her.

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_**I hope you liked this one.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hello again. Read on and enjoy.**_

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For the next two weeks, Sofia obeyed Anthony's rules to the letter. She ate when told to do so, and kept her mouth shut whenever she was in a foul mood. It took every ounce of her self-control for her to not scream at her captor to stop treating her like a baby.

Still, her good behavior pleased Anthony to the point where he offered to take her outside. Realizing she hadn't been outdoors once since her captivity, the girl instantly accepted.

The sun was shining brightly, but there was a gentle breeze to it as well. As she followed Anthony outside, Sofia took the opportunity to see her surroundings.

The house was a bit bigger than she originally pictured it. There was a single road that ran through the area, and as far as she could see, Anthony's house was the only one around. It looked as if a yellowish-green field surrounded the house and the road. As she was led into the backyard of the house, her heart started to pound.

There was a long patch of woods, and they extended backwards towards a batch of mountains. Sofia stared at them as ideas flowed through her mind, but at the same time, she tried to calm herself.

"Those looks so much like the woods my dad and I used to hike through when I was little."

Smiling, Anthony wrote on his pad.

**"You like hiking?"**

"Yeah."

**"Maybe, if you're good, I could take you for a hike sometime."**

Sofia looked down, hoping she was hiding her true thoughts.

"You don't have to. I wouldn't want to trouble you."

Shaking his head, Anthony smiled and took her hand. Sofia made herself smile back as her mind raced.

_Those stretch on towards the mountains, so there'd be plenty of spots to hide. If I could just get out of the house and run in, I could follow the woods and come out further down the road. There might be more cars passing that way. I could flag someone down, and…_

She suddenly remembered that she was a suspect in her father's death.

_Hmm…Maybe if I wait until Anthony leaves the house for a long period of time, I could get the security tape from that secret room. I'll have to think of a way to get out, since he always keeps the front door and bottom floor windows locked, but still. That could be my chance!_

Suddenly feeling genuinely happy, she tried to distract herself.

"Isn't that a weeping willow over there?"

Anthony nodded, blissfully unaware of what was going through his captive's mind.

OOOOOOOOOOO

A couple days later, Anthony noticed Sofia was a bit gloomy. After they ate breakfast and the girl was dressed, he brought her back upstairs and motioned for her to sit next to him on the bed.

**"I just wanted to make sure you're feeling okay. You seem a bit down."**

Looking down at her lap for a moment, Sofia shrugged.

"No. It's stupid, really."

Anthony gently rested his hand on the girl's arm and rubbed it, encouraging her to continue.

"Well, I don't know. It's just…I don't want you to think I'm not grateful for you protecting me and everything, but…sometimes, I just miss how things used to be for me. I would always get up every day and go into town, buy groceries, talk to people, then come home and watch all of my favorite shows, settle down with a book, and stuff like that."

Anthony nodded understandingly as she continued.

"I don't know if I'm making any sense, but I…I just wish that if I can't ever be out there again, I'd at least like to _feel_ like I am."

Taking her hand into his, Anthony gently grasped it. He looked at her tenderly before taking out his pad again.

"**I get what you're saying. And I know it won't completely make up for not freeing you, but would it make you feel better if I got you a TV? That way, you can keep watching all the shows you like."**

Sofia glanced at him, shaking her head slightly.

"Oh, you don't need to do that."

Anthony smiled and got up, reaching for his suit jacket.

**"If it makes you happy, then I'm glad to do it. I'll go out and get you one right now."**

"You really wouldn't mind?"

Shanking his head, Anthony looked at her reassuringly.

"Wow…okay. Thanks so much."

**"You're welcome. I shouldn't be more than a few hours."**

After Anthony left the room, Sofia listened for the front door to open and shut. Once she did, she got up and walked over to her window. Anthony's car went further and further down the road, and once it disappeared around the corner, Sofia sprang into action.

Practically throwing herself down the stairs, she ran into the library and pressed the little button, revealing the secret room. She went inside and looked for the tape. It was sitting on top of the little tape player, and once she recognized it as being from the mansion, Sofia tucked it into her pocket and ran out.

She tried the door and all of the downstairs windows just make sure, but they were all still locked. But she wasn't giving up yet. She went back into the bedroom and walked towards the balcony doors. These doors were not locked, and she immediately walked through.

From the balcony to the ground below, it was a rather long distance. Falling wouldn't kill her, but she would probably break a bone, which wouldn't be good for her present goal. Thinking fast, Sofia looked around, trying to find something she could use…

Then, the sheets caught her eye.

_Yes! Maybe I could tie them together!_

Sofia immediately pulled all the sheets off the bed. Once this was done, she grabbed the corners of two of them and started knotting them together. Afterwards, she moved onto the next one.

OOOOOOOOOOO

As he turns onto the next road, Anthony leisurely laid his free hand on his thigh. Suddenly, he felt like he was missing something. He looked down, and sure enough, his wallet was gone. After groaning to himself, he pulled over and turned around.

_Gosh! Whenever a guy needs his wallet the most, that's always the one time he leaves it at home._

OOOOOOOOOOO

After about half an hour, Sofia felt confident. She had double-knotted the tied sheets, and though she was nervous, the adrenaline made her heart race with pride.

She took her creation out onto the balcony and looped one end around the railing. Once she was sure the knot was as firm as it could be, she tossed the rest over the edge. It ended about five or six feet above the ground, but it would have to do. After taking a deep breath, she climbed over the edge and grabbed the sheets.

Sofia made herself take several deep breaths as she eased herself down the artificial rope. While doing so, she reminded herself not to look down.

_Easy…you're almost there…_

Just then, she heard the sound of an approaching car. Her heart pounded, thinking that it was an innocent passerby.

_I'm saved!_

But her heart sunk when she saw that it was Anthony's car. For the next couple moments, her body couldn't function.

_There's no way he hasn't seen me by now! If he catches me, he'll never let me outside again, and he'll probably keep me locked up when he's away! _

The car stopped, and Anthony opened the door.

_It's now or never! __**Go!**_

Sofia let go of the sheets and landed on her feet, sending spasms of pain up her legs. She pushed through it and ran for the woods just as Anthony started to chase after her.

Tears stung Sofia's eyes as she ran. She didn't dare look behind her, but deep down, she knew he would catch up.

_I was so close! How could this happen?_

After a few more seconds, Anthony closed in. Sofia tried to make herself run faster as the woods grew closer. However, her fear overwhelmed her as she heard the rapidly approaching footsteps.

"**No!**" she screamed as Anthony's arms wrapped around her.

He stumbled over a rock and fell forward, dragging Sofia to the ground with him. She immediately started struggling, and eventually managed to kick him hard in the stomach. But just as she rose to her feet, Anthony reached out and grabbed her ankle, pulling her back down.

"Get off me, you bastard! Let **go!**"

She elbowed him in the chest, making him snarl in pain for a moment. But Anthony's ferocity proved to be too much for the girl, and she soon found herself on her back. She tried to get up, but Anthony seized both her wrists and held them firmly. He moved on top of her flailing form, pinning her down with his weight. Despite her obvious defeat, Sofia struggled with all her strength.

"Let me go!" she sobbed loudly as her drive ran out.

Anthony merely looked down at her, waiting for her to calm down. At the same time, he focused on his own self-control.

_How could she? I'm doing everything I can to make her happy, and __**this**__ is how she thanks me? By __**tricking**__ me?_

After a few moments, Anthony rolled the girl onto her belly and pinned her wrists behind her, reaching up to loosen his tie. Sofia tried to struggle, but she could do nothing as her hands were tied and she was pulled onto her feet. She started to struggle, but Anthony wasn't having any of it. He grabbed her roughly and hauled her towards the house.

All Sofia could do was kick and scream as Anthony dragged her back inside and into the bedroom. He kicked the door shut and sat down onto the bed, moving Sofia so she was leaning across his lap and facing the floor.

_You thought you could get away from me? For such a stupid and childish idea, you'll be punished as a child would be._

Using one hand to hold Sofia's wrists and keep her from squirming, Anthony started to pull down her pants. The girl's eyes widened as she realized what he was about to do.

"Stop!" she begged, but it fell on deaf ears as Anthony tugged her underwear down. "No, _please!_"

Anthony couldn't help but stare at his captive's naked backside for a couple seconds before refocusing himself. His hand came down hard and swift. Sofia was so shocked by what was happening that she didn't have time to cry out. But when the second blow hit her, a whimper of pain was able to break free.

"Stop it!" she screamed, but Anthony's hand was void of all mercy.

Sofia could do nothing but wait until it was over. She tried struggling every once in a while, but it wasn't any use. Tears of pain and embarrassment rolled down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut. She had never felt so humiliated in her life, not even when she was younger.

Edward never spanked her if she was naughty. He would normally give her time-outs, take away TV privileges, and if she were especially bad, he would yell at her a bit. But not once did he ever raise a hand to her. He always believed that children should never be physically disciplined, as it could lead to emotional problems as an adult. To him, it was all about the mind, and how it would flourish with the proper constructive care.

Only after a few minutes, when Sofia could barely breathe through her cries, did Anthony finally stop. He tightened his hold on her wrists as she started squirming again, while laying his other hand on her lower back, just above the place where her skin was turning red. As the girl's sobs shook through her body, Anthony softly rubbed her back, trying to calm her. Now that most of his anger was gone, he almost felt guilty for doing what he did. Still, he truly felt it was for the best.

Reaching down, he carefully pulled Sofia's underwear back into place. He started doing the same with her pants, but paused when he saw the security tape protruding from the pocket.

_She was planning on clearing herself…no matter. She's had enough for today._

After taking back the tape and tucking it into his suit pocket, Anthony pulled the girl's pants up the rest of the way. He then untied her hands and took her shoulders, gently maneuvering her to sit on the bed next to him. She winced in pain as her abused bottom touched the blankets, and instantly tried to get up. However, Anthony pulled her towards him until she sat on his lap, in a position where his legs were spread enough to allow her skin some space. She tried to wriggle away, but he wrapped his arms around her, moving one hand to cradle her face and tenderly wipe her tears away.

Once some more time had passed, he reached for his pad again.

**"I'm sorry I had to hurt you like that, Sofia. But what you did hurt me. I trusted you, went out of my way to do something nice for you. How do you think I felt when I found out it was all a lie?"**

Sofia barely looked at it as she turned away, wiping her tears. Just then, Anthony dropped the pad and cupped her cheek, forcing her to look at him. She tried to tug her face free, but his resolve was far too strong. After a few more moments of useless squirming, Sofia made herself obey.

She was taken aback from seeing the tears in Anthony's reddened eyes. He stared at her with a powerful look of anger, firmness and, surprisingly, hurt. Though she didn't want to feel bad for her father's killer, Sofia couldn't help but feel guilty for lying to him. After all, her giddy reactions to seeing the woods and her gratitude for his getting a TV for her must have gotten his hopes up.

_Still, how could he think I'd ever want to be around him after what he did?_

Looking him in the eye, Sofia spoke.

"Yes, you've been kind to me. But do you understand that what you did to my dad is completely unforgivable? He didn't murder anyone, he didn't deserve what he got."

After gazing at her for a moment, Anthony slowly reached down and got his pad.

**"The money he stole could've helped people in need. For all you know, he might have caused several people to starve. And as I told you before, I didn't have any personal grudge against him. I'm sorry he happened to be your father, but it was just business."**

Sofia shook her head and stared in front of her.

"I don't care if it was business or not. He's dead, and you killed him. Murdering people might be as easy as breathing for you, but no matter what they might have done, there were people that cared about them. You haven't given their grief a second thought."

She turned to look him in the eye just once more, her tears drying on her face.

"Why am I different? What makes me so special to you?"

Anthony looked down for a moment before gently moving Sofia off his lap and placing her on the stripped bed. Without another glance, he turned and walked out.

_What do you want me to say? That all of them were just as greedy as the ones I killed except for you? That I love you more than anything? It doesn't matter what I tell you. You're always going to hate me._

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_**Let me know what you think.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**I hope you like this one.**_

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Sofia slept on the bare mattress that night. Once she was asleep, Anthony made sure to lock the terrace door after bringing in the knotted sheets. He gazed at the sleeping girl, surprised by how relaxed and comfortable she looked. Then again, he figured she was so anxious to get to sleep and be rid of him for a while.

After taking the sheets downstairs and throwing them in the washer, he went back into the room and stood by the door. Looking down, he pondered the issue.

_She learned her lesson this time, but she's stubborn. There's no doubt that she'll try something like this again._

Anthony thought about it for a few moments before an idea suddenly crossed his mind.

_I guess I'll just have to make sure she can't leave._

OOOOOOOOOOOO

The next morning, Sofia didn't even have the will to get up. But after what happened the previous day, she knew it was best to just behave normally. After using the bathroom, she went over to the closet to pick out an outfit. However, when she opened the doors, her eyes went wide.

Her clothing was gone. She ran over to the dresser, hoping they had been placed with her undergarments. Not only were they not there, but her bras, panties, and socks were missing as well. Her heart started to pound as she opened every drawer in the room. By the end, all she could find were Anthony's clothes. There was nothing of hers anywhere.

Like clockwork, there was a light knock at the door. Sofia froze as Anthony opened it and stood in the doorway.

"Did you take my clothes?"

Anthony took out his pad.

**"****You**** did, in a way. I may have physically removed them, but it was your actions yesterday that caused you to lose that privilege."**

"Wh…_privilege?_ They're clothes!"

**"I got you clothes out of kindness, out of respect and trust for you. But what you did has ruined that, and until I can trust you to not disobey me again, you'll be without clothes. After all, it wouldn't be a good idea for you to run off and flag down a car in the nude, especially not in L.A."**

Sofia gripped her pajamas, her face frozen in horror. Anthony smirked slightly.

**"Don't look so terrified. I'm not so barbaric as to make you walk around naked. You can keep the pajamas, but they'll need to be washed within the next couple days."**

Looking down, Sofia's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She felt so humiliated as she reluctantly followed Anthony downstairs into the kitchen. Despite how horrified she was, Anthony was acting like everything was normal.

While Sofia was slowly eating her oatmeal, Anthony stared at her, studying her face. After a moment, he wrote something else.

**"By the way, don't bother looking for that tape again. I destroyed it last night. So you see, even if you did take a chance and find a kind soul to rescue your lovely bare self, you'd still go to jail."**

She tried not to react, but Sofia's heart dropped at this.

_Now I really can't leave…_

OOOOOOOOOOOO

The bed was remade, and Sofia was asleep again. Anthony sat at his desk in the hidden room, fumbling with the tape in his hands. Judging by the girl's face, she had believed his lie. True, he had originally intended to destroy the tape, but for some reason, he simply couldn't.

_This is her only way of being declared innocent. I don't know, I…I just can't do it._

After a couple more minutes, Anthony tossed the tape into a nearby drawer and left the room.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Four days later, Sofia felt such horrid dread. Her pajamas were starting to smell, and even she couldn't ignore it. After lunch, she sat on the bed, knowing what would happen.

Sure enough, Anthony entered the room and whipped out the pad.

**"Those need to be washed now, Sofia."**

"Fine," she said, getting up. "I'll take them off in the bathroom and toss them out to you."

Anthony stepped forward and took her arm, shaking his head.

"Let go! I promise, I'll throw them out to you, and you can throw them back to me once they're clean."

Looking her right in the eye, Anthony pointed towards the ground. It took Sofia a few minutes to realize what he was saying.

"Wait…you want me to take them off _here?_"Anthony nodded. "Okay, turn around." He shook his head, narrowing his eyes at her.

The girl's heart raced even faster, and she shook her head.

"Please…just allow me this small bit of privacy."

**"I already told you…you gave up your right to privacy by trying to leave. Besides, you're coming with me. They're your pajamas, so ****you**** will wash them. Now take them off."**

Sofia slowly moved away from him, and Anthony hardened his gaze at her.

**"Take them off, or I'll do it for you."**

When she still wouldn't obey, Anthony started towards her. Before he could reach out to grab her, Sofia punched his hand away and darted towards the door. However, Anthony ran forward and seized her elbow, yanking her back and throwing her onto the bed. He pinned her down and started ripping the clothes away from her body.

"No, **stop it!**" Sofia screamed, tears streaming from her eyes as she lost hold of her pajama top.

Before long, she laid naked on the bed. Anthony glared at her as she covered her privates, pointing towards the door. But she didn't budge, so he took her arms and dragged her out.

When he finally got the wailing girl into the laundry room, Anthony put the pajamas and detergent onto the washer, pulling Sofia to stand in front of it. After a few more seconds of crying, she decided to just get it done. She poured in some detergent, threw the clothes in, and started the machine. But before she could leave the room and go back upstairs, Anthony took her shoulders and forced her into the library. He steered her towards the sofa and sat down, pulling her with him.

"I did what you said, let me _go!_" Sofia sobbed, frantically trying to cover herself.

Eventually, after a few minutes of struggling, Anthony had Sofia's arms pinned behind her, holding her firmly against his chest with his free arm. In her attempt to get away, Sofia had put her legs on the couch and tried to push off, but instead, Anthony moved their bodies so they laid across the cushions and wrapped his legs around hers, effectively stilling her squirms.

Sofia's muscles couldn't take any more, and she slackened. She turned her head as far away as she could, not bearing to look at the assassin. Anthony slowly released her wrists and brought his newly freed hand up to tenderly rub the girl's bare belly, not going any further than her womb.

"_Stop,_" she cried. "I just want to go back upstairs!"

After a moment, Anthony pulled the pad out of his pocket and held it in front of Sofia as he wrote.

**"We're going to sit here until your pajamas are washed, and we'll do so again while they dry. And from now on, you'll only be in the bedroom when it's time for bed or while I'm away. You will not isolate yourself from me anymore."**

As the girl wept, Anthony kept stroking her stomach, trying not to notice the feeling of her soft skin. Sofia tried to wriggle away, but when she couldn't, she just cried harder.

"Don't touch me…" she whimpered, and Anthony wrote something else down.

**"Why are you so afraid? I said I wouldn't rape you."**

"You already are, by violating my privacy!"

**"I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't lied to me and tried to escape."**

Not wanting to talk anymore, Sofia simply shut her mouth, her tears silently running down her cheeks.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

After dinner, Sofia was made to put her clothes in the dryer. Anthony's machines were fairly ancient, so it took longer for the job to be done. True to his word, Anthony took Sofia back to the library and made her lie with him again. As the sun went down, the mentally exhausted girl eventually drifted off into sleep.

Anthony stared at Sofia's relaxed face. The sight of dried tears on her skin made his heart yearn for her smile.

_Oh, Sofia. I don't like doing this to you. I'd give anything to make you happy, but you have to learn that you can't disrespect me without consequences._

Moving very carefully, he leaned down and gently kissed her cheek. Her lashes fluttered slightly as the man continued, moving to the other side of her face. While this was happening, Anthony's hand was slowly trailing up Sofia's belly. Soon, it reached the smooth valley between her breasts. Moving ever so carefully as to not wake his captive, Anthony allowed his fingers to touch the smooth full flesh. It was softer than he imagined, and the very scent of her skin was sending electric sparks up his spine. Sofia sighed softly in her slumber, her head moving back and forth a bit.

Just then, Anthony froze. He had failed to notice that a certain part of his anatomy was getting a little too excited, and by the time he did, it was too late. Before he could calm himself, the girl shifted slightly in her sleep and rubbed up against the wrong place. He winced as the front of his pants suddenly felt warm and wet. Pausing to think for a few moments, he eased Sofia off of him, picked her up, and swiftly took her upstairs.

By this time, the pajamas were dry. Anthony ran back downstairs and retrieved them. Just as he returned to the bedroom, Sofia's eyes were starting to open. After blinking a few times, she saw him and stiffened. But all Anthony did was lay the folded clothing onto the bed, get his own nightclothes, and shut himself into the bathroom. Sofia slowly put her pajamas back on, confused by her captor's stiff behavior.

Once in the bathroom, Anthony immediately got into the shower to remove all evidence of the embarrassing event.

_I have to be more careful with that. But…her body didn't seem very unwilling._

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_**Let me know what you think.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**And here we are again. This chapter contains mature content, so beware. Read on.**_

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And so time progressed for the next month. The daily routine was virtually the same each day. Sofia forced herself to explore the house and read some books in the library. Whenever Anthony would move closer to her, she would somehow make her way to a different room. She no longer rebelled when it was time to wash the pajamas, since she knew it wouldn't help her.

The glass windows in the bedroom now had bars outside of them. Anthony didn't want to risk the girl finding something to break her way out with, and he certainly didn't want to have to tie her to the bed. Now, whenever he had an errand to run, he simply locked her in the bedroom. He didn't think she'd go looking for the tape again, but he didn't want to take any chances with it.

Sofia played along with everything. Her mind was constantly stirring with ideas for escaping, but so far, she didn't see any of them working. All of the windows and doors were unusable, especially when she was by herself. And she didn't dare try anything while Anthony was home; she knew he would always catch her, and didn't want to relive the last painful experience. But as she went through and discarded each escape plan, she became more and more aggravated.

_I'm going crazy! This man, this whole damn place…there had to be something I'm missing, there just has to be!_

She was also getting tired of having to be polite all the time. Her fear of another punishment kept her from doing anything drastic, but her anger at her father's murderer was getting even more intense.

_I swear, if I have to keep this up much longer, I'm going to __**explode!**_

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Anthony was a little frustrated as well. Every time he went anywhere near Sofia, she would always move away from him. He figured that she was still upset. But the fact that he chose not to kill her, even went as far as to feed her and take care of her, and her complete lack of respect for that fact, made him angry.

_I can't even try to be kind to her. She won't give me a chance!_

Eventually, it got to be too much. But instead of letting his anger explode, Anthony took a few deep breaths before walking into the library, where Sofia was reading a book. When she saw him, she calmly stood, put the book back on the shelf, and headed for the door. But he reached out and gently took her shoulders, stopping her. After leading her towards the couch and sitting them both down, he brought his pad out.

**"Sofia, I know you're angry, and you have every right to be. But your constant doing-anything-to-get-away-from-me thing has to stop now."**

"You said I shouldn't isolate myself in the bedroom anymore," Sofia answered. "I'm out of the bedroom."

**"This isn't about the bedroom. I said I don't want you avoiding me so much. You may think that just because I'm an assassin I have no feelings, but I do. And you ignoring me when I'm just trying to be kind to you deeply hurts my feelings."**

Sofia glared at him, not able to hold it back.

"I'm hurting _your_ feelings?" Anthony nodded. "Well, you're hurting _my _feelings by holding me prisoner here."

Before Anthony could think of a response to that, Sofia continued.

"What about my dad? Don't you think killing him hurt his feelings? My feelings? And don't you think you hurt the feelings of your other victims' families?"

**"You don't understand. My targets are often criminals. They were bad people."**

"Were some of them innocent?"

Anthony stared her, not wanting to tell the truth. Still, Sofia saw right through it.

"See? I'm sorry if I may think you don't have feelings. Maybe you do, but…tell me, do you feel any remorse? Do you feel the slightest bit sorry for killing any of them?"

He was silent.

"Ah. So I guess that's the one feeling you're missing."

**"I do feel horrible for involving you in this. You weren't supposed to be home that night, remember? You were going to usher at that school play. I planned on getting in, getting the job done without any problems, and getting out. You being at the school would have been your alibi, and you wouldn't be in any trouble."**

"D'you feel sorry for killing my father?"

**"Like I said before, I'm sorry that greedy excuse for a man turned out to be your father." **

"Don't call him that! He raised me, he _loved_ me!"

**"He didn't' give you any kind of life. He wasn't a good person, Sofia."**

"Oh, and **you** are?" There was a tense pause before she continued angrily. "You think you're some sort of hero, going around killing people? It doesn't matter who they are, or if they have a family that loves them, as long as the money's good, right?"

Anthony felt the fury build up inside him as the girl continued.

"My dad made some bad choices," Sofia said tearfully, "but he was just looking out for me. He kept me isolated because he wanted to protect me! He must have stolen the money so I'd be supported if something happened to him."

Slowly shaking his head, Anthony let his feelings get the best of him.

**"You're wrong. The money was all for him. He was planning to escape to another country and leave you behind so he didn't raise suspicion. You may think I'm holding you prisoner, but I'm just trying to protect you, which is much more than he ever did. He was protecting ****himself**** by shutting you in, because he thought his silly innocent daughter would give something away that could implicate him. You were just a burden he kept around for insurance. He didn't love you."**

"_Stop it!_"

Sofia stood and tried to run. Desperate to convince her with his lies, Anthony grabbed her elbow and pulled her back towards him. As she struggled, something inside of Sofia snapped, and all of her anger broke loose. She swung her free hand and slapped Anthony across the face.

The room was silent for a few moments. Ignoring the sting in his cheek, Anthony glared at Sofia with pure rage. Realizing what she had done, Sofia suddenly felt horrified. Before she could even think about running, Anthony was on her.

Pinning the squirming girl to the couch, he immediately started ripping the pajamas away. Sofia tried to get away, but all she could to was watch as the clothing tore, sending threads all over the place. In a matter of minutes, the pajamas were in pieces on the floor. She sobbed on the sofa as Anthony furiously wrote.

**"Now you'll wear nothing."**

By now, Sofia had had enough. She looked up at him in pure anger.

"Fine. I don't care. You think you've broken my spirit by taking away my clothes? Go ahead and think that, if it makes you feel all high and mighty. But you're pathetic! You're a lousy coward, nothing but—"

Anthony stormed at her and grabbed her arm, forcing her up the stairs and into the bedroom. Sofia mentally prepared herself for what she knew would come, but he merely shoved her into the room and slammed the door, locking it behind him. She backed up and sat on the bed, trying to slow her tears by hugging herself. Despite all of this, she was grateful for the brief moment she had to herself, and that her captor hadn't done what she feared he would do.

After going back downstairs, Anthony paced around a bit until his anger had ebbed. Locking Sofia into the room was all he could do without becoming violent. For a brief moment, he was afraid he himself would've struck her like she had done to him. But he never would have forgiven himself for it.

_It doesn't matter. I've got a different kind of punishment in mind._

OOOOOOOOOOOO

The rest of the day went by rather stiffly. Anthony acted like nothing was wrong as he pulled back the covers and got into bed next to Sofia. She watched him cautiously as he turned off the lamp on the nightstand and rolled over, his back to her. After a few minutes went by, the girl allowed herself to relax.

Anthony didn't move for about an hour, until he was sure Sofia was asleep. He looked at her for a moment before carefully turning the light back on, opening the drawer, and pulling out a small bottle of chloroform. Turning away slightly and holding his breath, he held the opened liquid under Sofia's nose for about ten seconds. He put the bottle back into the draw and went into the bathroom, letting out his held air. After relieving himself and cleaning his hands, he went back into the bedroom and pulled back the covers, exposing the girl's bare form.

_So lovely…_

Moving very slowly, Anthony reached under the bed and pulled out a small coil of rope. He moved Sofia onto her back and placed her wrists above her head before looping the rope around them and securing them to the headboard. Once finished with that, Anthony got back into bed and slipped an arm under the girl's shoulders, moving his free hand down her body until it reached her center.

Just as he nudged her legs apart and started touching her, Sofia's eyes slowly opened.

It took her a couple seconds to break through the dizziness, but once she saw Anthony above her, she started thrashing. However, he merely pulled her closer to him and moved a leg over hers, effectively holding both of them open.

"Get _off_ of me!" Sofia shouted, squirming at his touch. "What're you doing?"

Anthony glanced at her before moving his hand away from her privates. He slowly slipped his middle finger into his mouth and held it there for a few seconds. It glistened with his essence as he gradually moved it back to where it was before.

"_No,_" Sofia said through her teeth, trying to wriggle away.

But it was no use. Anthony pressed his moist finger against the girl's tiny little bud and started to rub.

Sofia suddenly jolted as a foreign feeling ran up her spine. It was startling, but as much as she wanted to deny it, this new sensation felt incredibly nice.

_Wait! Sofia, stop! This man killed your dad and countless others! He kidnapped you and humiliated you in so many ways! You can't let him do this…_

"**Don't!**" she shouted, giving one last try at escaping.

But Anthony pulled her even tighter against him, leaning down to press his lips to her cheek.

"Stop…"

"_Shh-shh-shhhh…_"

Soon, the warm coil within Sofia's belly was growing hotter and hotter. It felt like she would surely explode.

Suddenly, Anthony pulled his fingers away. An impulsive moan of frustration escaped Sofia's lips, and she turned away. Her loins ached painfully, craving whatever would've happened had Anthony not stopped. Pushing past her discomfort, Sofia spoke again.

"Get away!Just _stop!_"

For a little while, it seemed that Anthony was granting her request. But a couple minutes later, he moved his fingers back into place and continued his ministrations.

Leaning her head back against the pillow, Sofia tried to hold back her cries. However, Anthony looked at her for a few seconds before carefully exposing the girl's opening with two fingers, rubbing a third against it. To his delight, it was nearly dripping.

As Anthony slowly slipped his finger inside of her, Sofia was unable to hold back a moan. Her insides felt uncomfortably stretched for a few seconds, but as her captor started moving the finger in and out of her, an immense wave of warmth and excitement ran through her blood. Despite this new feeling, she tried again to escape Anthony's grasp.

"Let me **go!**" she cried, staring at him pleadingly.

Anthony stared down at her and increased the movement of his fingers. Overwhelmed, Sofia threw her head back and moaned, not noticing Anthony's soft kisses against her cheek and throat.

He continued this for almost an hour. After bringing Sofia to the brink countless times, he would stop and allow her body to calm for a little while before starting again. For Sofia, it was pure torture. Her body was exhausted and hungry for sleep, but the swelling of her core left no chance for her to get any rest. The constant denial of her release caused the pleasure to build up to a point where it was painful. Tears of shame and frustration ran down her cheeks as she wailed.

"**Please!**" she screamed once it stopped again, unable to take anymore. "I'm so _tired!_ Let me sleep, please just _let me sleep!_"

Anthony stared down at her for a while, moving his hand to softly rub the area just above her center. Then, looking right into her eyes, he slowly shook his head.

He never took his eyes away from her as he started once more, not showing any mercy in his actions.

_This is your punishment. Nothing physical could ever hurt as much as this._

As the girl continued to cry, Anthony stared at the tears rolling down her cheeks.

_Tell me to finish it, Sofia. Please, just beg me not to stop, and I'll make you feel better than you've ever felt before. And then we can go to sleep._

But the girl refused to give up. And so, Anthony refused to allow her rest as it continued all throughout the night.

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_**Let me know what you think.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Here we are again. Happy reading!**_

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The sun was just starting to rise when Anthony finally halted his actions. Sofia sighed in relief, happy to get a brief moment of rest. However, that was diminished as Anthony shook her shoulders to rouse her before untying her wrists. Before the girl had a chance to think, her hands were re-tied behind her back.

"What're you…? Let me go!"

Then, Anthony took a tie out of his closet and looped it around Sofia's ankles, binding them tightly. As the girl looked at him, Anthony retrieved the pad.

**"I can't have you giving yourself release, can I? There'd be no point in the punishment."**

Sofia looked down and grimaced.

"Didn't you punish me enough last night?"

The assassin shook his head before reaching down and scooping her into his arms. She tried to struggle, but one deathly glare shut her down. After a few steps, she found herself back at the kitchen table. Anthony poured a bowl of cereal and placed it in front of Sofia before getting a spoon and sitting down next to her.

"I can't eat if my hands are tied."

Looking at her curiously, Anthony spooned up some cereal and held it in front of the girl's mouth. After a moment, she shook her head.

"No, you're _not_ feeding me." Anthony glared at her. "Please, just let me feed myself!"

Anthony suddenly stood, looking down at her warningly. Sofia suddenly remembered his threat about her refusing meals, and tears filled her eyes.

_I don't want to be forced, but…just the idea of him feeding me like I'm a baby makes me sick!_

As the spoon was placed against her lips once more, she reluctantly opened. Anthony felt content as she obediently chewed and swallowed the cereal. He continued feeding her little spoonful's, trying to ignore the fresh tears rolling down her face. At one point, a bit of the milk dribbled from her mouth. As Anthony took a napkin and dabbed it away while cradling her head with his free hand, Sofia looked away.

"I'm full," she said, trying to restrain her tears. "No more, I'm full."

**"No, you're not. This is one full serving, you have to eat all of it. There's just a little bit left."**

"No!"

Anthony tightened his grip on her head, pulling it against his chest while trying to give her the last few bites. Finally, she complied. After putting the spoon down, Anthony held the girl's face in both hands and hugged her to him, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"Stop it!" Sofia cried, yanking away from him. "Stop babying me! It's so humiliating, I can't stand it!"

Anthony looked at her for a moment before writing something.

**"I wouldn't have to baby you if you didn't act like one. You deliberately rebel against me on a regular basis, which is a childish thing to do."**

"Oh, I'm sorry. How stupid of me. I didn't know how obscene it was to not obey someone dumb enough to think we're still in the age of slavery."

At this, Anthony glared coldly at her.

**"If I were you, I would tread very carefully. Like I told you before, I will never hurt you, beat you, burn you, or anything like that. But the consequences you've experienced don't light a candle to the other possibilities. You have no idea who I am, or what I am capable of doing if pushed the wrong way. I've tried so hard to treat you well, but if you don't start taking my warnings seriously, I swear to you, you'll regret it."**

The two of them stared at each other for a few moments. Anthony stood up and helped Sofia stand before carrying her into the library. He placed her onto the couch and walked over to the bookshelf. Returning to Sofia, he showed her what he'd chosen. It looked like a book about the cultures of different ethnic groups. Anthony sat down next to her and opened the book to the Norway chapter.

Sofia tried to engross herself in the reading. It truly was interesting to learn more about her culture. The customs were fascinating, and she was surprised to find out that the Norwegians often believed in Norse mythology. The stuff she'd read about in the Thor comics was the religion of her father's people.

After a couple hours, Sofia's bladder needed relief. She turned to Anthony.

"Could you untie me? I just need to use the bathroom real quick."

He glanced at her and put the book aside. Sofia prepared for the ropes to be removed, but instead, Anthony just untied her legs and lifted her up again, walking towards the bathroom.

"Wait," she protested. "I need my hands to wipe myself."

Anthony didn't react as he carried her into the little room, placed her onto the toilet, and shut the door behind them. Sofia's eyes stung as she looked at him.

"Please, I've been good. I'm reading the book, I paid attention! Just give me some privacy!"

Anthony ripped away some toilet paper and held it, kneeling next to the crying girl. He motioned for her to do her business, and despite her tears, Sofia could hold back anymore. She emptied herself, and once she was done, Anthony moved to wipe her.

"No!" she begged. "I've followed the rules, please just untie my hands!"

Anthony held her head against his chest with his free hand as he reached down and dabbed her dry. Sofia could only cry, her cheeks red with humiliation. Once finished, Anthony flushed the toilet, washed his hands, and scooped up Sofia again. As soon as they were back on the couch, she tried to get back to her seat. But Anthony held onto her and pulled her into his arms, tenderly rubbing her smooth skin. After her cries softened a bit, he took out his pad.

**"You've been good for the past few hours, but a small amount of good behavior doesn't get you off the hook. Striking me yesterday was extremely hurtful, and it was a blatant sign of your lack of respect for me. It'll stop when I feel that you've truly learned your lesson, but that time will come even faster if you continue to behave as well as you've been doing today."**

Sofia's pride begged her not to submit, but the childish treatment was simply too overwhelming. She forced herself to nod. Anthony smiled, and they continued reading.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Sofia made herself behave for the rest of the day, and Anthony appeared to be very pleased with that. The remainder of the day went by without any problems. Sofia didn't even protest when he spoon-fed her dinner. After the meal was done, he picked her up and carried her back into the bedroom.

Once there, he finally untied her limbs. After rubbing her wrists for a moment or two, Sofia stood up and headed for the bathroom. She stopped dead in her tracks when Anthony suddenly looked at her with strong suspicion.

"I'm just going to shower," she said, and when he didn't react, she went into the bathroom.

After shutting the door, Sofia walked over to the tub and reached for the water handle. Before she could touch it, the door suddenly opened and closed. She whirled around and came face-to-face with a very naked Anthony. Her body exploded with embarrassed warmth as she quickly turned away, curling herself into a ball on the floor.

Anthony turned on the bottom faucet and started to fill the tub with warm water. Once it was almost full, he turned it off and walked over to Sofia. She jerked away when he reached out and touched her arm.

"_No!_" she cried, barely seeing through her tears.

However, no matter how much she wanted to push him away and run out of the bathroom, his written words stopped her.

**"It's just a bath, I'm not going to hurt you. I promise, this is the last part of your penalty."**

Sofia hesitated.

**"You've done so well today. Don't spoil it now."**

After taking several shaky breaths, she allowed Anthony to lift her into his arms. The initial contact of his bare skin against hers made her skin crawl. He lowered them into the bath water and moved Sofia so that she sat on his lap, her back against his chest. It took every bit of her strength to not squirm away as he started washing her body. The washcloth felt nice against her skin, but after a few minutes, it trailed towards her center.

She stiffened a bit, but Anthony gently wrapped an arm around her and released the cloth, moving down to carefully wash the girl's privates. He saw the tears in her eyes, but continued nonetheless. Once done, he rubbed his hand over a few more spots before moving it to her shoulder, patting it as if to praise her.

Then, he turned her around so that she straddled his lap. Sofia started struggling out of impulse, but Anthony held her still for a moment. He retrieved the cloth and rubbed some soap against it before taking Sofia's hand and placing the cloth into it. She looked from the cloth to him for a moment before realizing what he wanted her to do.

She greatly feared the consequences of disobeying, but couldn't stop the tears from pouring out as she started washing Anthony's shoulders. After finishing the arms and chest, Sofia started to back away. But he took her hand and pressed it against his stomach, motioning for her to go lower.

Sofia sobbed even harder and looked away as she made herself wash Anthony underneath the water. He held onto her hand so she wouldn't go too fast, which made it even harder to bear.

The moment she finished, she tried to jump from the water. But Anthony caught her waist and pulled her back into his lap, enveloping her into his arms and cooing softly into her ear as she cried. After a couple more minutes of this, Anthony got out of the water and picked Sofia up into his arms. He wrapped a towel around her before carrying her into the bedroom and laying her down. As he settled next to her, she tried to roll away, only to be pulled tightly against him once more.

She could only cry as she shuddered at what would happen if she kept fighting him. Anthony cradled her quaking form, stroking her hair with one hand as he tenderly kissed her forehead.

_Good girl. It's okay now, I'm not angry anymore._

Sofia closed her eyes, not wanting to see what Anthony had reduced her to.

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_**I hope you liked it.**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Here we are again. BTW, there is mature content in this chapter. Read on and enjoy.**_

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For the next week, Sofia didn't dare disobey Anthony in any shape, way, or form. It had reached the point where she was afraid of doing of saying anything that was even slightly offensive. Her punishments the previous week may not have been painful, but they were certainly unpleasant.

_Just like he promised._

Anthony, on the other hand, was very satisfied. He didn't like making her unhappy, and he truly hated seeing her cry. But it was the only way to keep her in line. And he hoped that some day, he wouldn't have to punish her anymore, as she would no longer resist him. Still, Anthony wasn't stupid. He knew that if that day were to come, it wouldn't be for a very long time.

That afternoon, he locked Sofia in the bedroom and went to the store for food. He was in a very good mood due to his captive's submissive behavior. In fact, he felt so happy that he decided to do something to surprise her.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Sofia sat on the bed, as she always did. It wasn't too chilly that day, so she didn't need the sheets to cover herself. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was gradually growing used to Anthony seeing her naked. It still made her uncomfortable, but he hadn't forcefully touched her since her punishment. And she intended to keep it that way.

There was a slight knock on the door as it opened. Anthony slowly walked in, smiling at the girl. She looked at him cautiously as he approached her, both hands behind his back. After a moment, he brought them in front of him. One hand held a purple rose. Sofia stared at it, having never seen a rose that color.

Anthony kneeled next to the bed and held out the rose. Sofia hesitantly took it, being careful not to cut her fingers on the thorns. She looked at Anthony, knowing he probably expected a reaction.

"Thank you," she said softly, not able to smile.

Anthony nodded, reaching out to touch her knee. Holding back a flinch, Sofia placed the rose onto the nightstand.

_It's beautiful. But I'd find it even more so if it weren't from him._

OOOOOOOOOOO

After dinner, Sofia was allowed to shower by herself. While she was in the bathroom, Anthony got into his pajamas. He sat in the bed, thinking about the beautiful young woman.

_Sofia…you've been so good this week. One flower hardly seems like a large enough reward…_

A while later, Sofia was cleaned, brushed, and ready for bed. She walked around the mattress and slipped under the covers, facing away from Anthony. He turned off the nightstand lamp, but instead of lying down, he simply sat there. After looking intensely at Sofia's form for a few minutes, Anthony slowly slipped his arm around the girl's shoulders.

Sofia's eyes shot open. After taking one look at the assassin, she tried to bolt from the bed. However, Anthony tightened his hold and moved his hand from her shoulder to under her back. Before long, he had both her wrists pinned underneath her. As her captor kneed her legs apart and reached his free hand towards her privates, Sofia started to cry.

"Wait!" she screamed, fresh tears streaming down her eyes. "Please _don't!_ I've been good! What did I do wrong?"

Looking pained, Anthony slowly shook his head at her, leaning down to nuzzle her face.

_No, you did nothing wrong. I'm not punishing you, Sofia. _

Sofia tried to turn her head away, but as Anthony's fingers gently got to work on her center, she couldn't help but squirm. Still, no matter what she did, Anthony's grip on her was too strong.

For the next ten minutes, Sofia sobbed helplessly as Anthony worked her body into that heated state. The familiar coil had returned to her belly, and was almost ready to explode. But as wonderful as it felt, she didn't want it. Not from him.

"Stop," she wept, barely able to speak. "I don't want this!"

Anthony merely went faster, forcing a moan from Sofia.

_Yes, you do. You just don't want to admit it._

Finally, he decided it was time. Leaning down to pepper Sofia's forehead and cheeks with small kisses, Anthony rapidly moved his fingers inside her. Before long, Sofia felt the coil grow hotter than it had ever been before.

Suddenly, her loins exploded. Completely overwhelmed with the feeling, she opened her mouth to cry out. But before she could, Anthony leaned in and covered her lips with his, swallowing her wail of pleasure.

As her body calmed from the aftermath of the orgasm, Sofia's mind spun. She could barely think straight. But after a few seconds, she was able to register someone kissing her, and she was kissing him back. Her head finally snapped back into place as she realized it was Anthony. He sighed against her lips, relishing the sweet taste of the girl's tongue.

Horrified, Sofia broke the kiss and turned away. Anthony cupped her chin and tried to kiss her again, but she tore her face out of his grasp.

"_No!_" she cried, squeezing her eyes shut. "_Stop_ it!"

Anthony slowly withdrew his fingers from Sofia's opening and laid his hand on her stomach, rubbing it tenderly. He looked at her, frustrated at her stubbornness.

Blinking her tears away, Sofia tried to move out of Anthony's embrace. However, he immediately tightened his hold on her, tangling his legs with hers to keep her from kicking him. All Sofia could really do was lay there, trying to ignore the feeling of Anthony's hand moving up to softly cradle her cheek.

_How…? How could I enjoy that?_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When she woke up the next morning, the first thing she wanted to do after relieving herself was wash away the evidence of the previous night. However, she had just flushed the toilet when Anthony entered the bathroom, stopping her right before she could reach the tub. After dragging her back into the room, he sat her down on the bed and got his pad.

**"Stop acting like an assault victim, Sofia."**

"Why did you do that to me?! I didn't do anything bad!"

**"I wasn't trying to punish you. It was meant to please you, and evidently, it did."**

Sofia looked down and cringed, not wanting to admit he was right.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore."

She got up and headed for the door, but Anthony took her waist and pulled her back. Sofia landed on his lap, and before she could get up, he looped his arms around her and wrestled her onto the bed. He took her face into his hands and pressed his lips firmly against hers. Squealing in protest, Sofia put her hands on his shoulders and pushed, eventually forcing him off of her.

"Stop it!" she shouted. "I _hated_ what you did last night! Maybe my body reacted to it, but it doesn't mean I consented. I couldn't stand it!"

Anthony stared at her as she continued.

"The only way I could even get through it without puking was by thinking of someone else!"

At this, Anthony's face changed. Sofia could tell that she had gone too far. She didn't mean what she said, but she'd hoped it would stop him from doing it anymore. She was wrong.

He seized her shoulders and forced her further up the bed before turning her onto her stomach. Before she knew it, Sofia's wrists were re-tied to the headboard, and she was swiftly flipped onto her back once more. She tried to tug herself free, but it was no use.

Anthony scribbled rapidly on his pad before showing Sofia.

**"You'll see ****me**** now. If you look away for even a moment, you'll be sorry."**

He placed the pad onto the nightstand before settling over the bound girl and moving his hands to either side of her face, sitting on her thighs. She struggled slightly as he leaned towards her, but one dangerous look from him immediately stopped her movements. Terrified of the consequences, Sofia reluctantly glanced at Anthony as he started to gently kiss his way down her neck. He looked up at her every few seconds to make sure she was still watching.

When her captor reached her chest, Sofia couldn't hold back her tears. She shook her head, silently begging Anthony to stop. He looked into her eyes as he bent down and carefully took her breast into his mouth, trailing a hand down to her center. At that point, Sofia closed her eyes in disgust. Suddenly, she felt Anthony touch her inner thigh and pinch it harshly. Crying out in pain, she opened her eyes again just as Anthony switched to the other breast.

Anthony closed his own eyes momentarily as he relished the taste of Sofia's skin. It was sweet, almost like sugar. He eventually looked back up her as he carefully slipped a finger into her.

When he reached the area between her thighs, he pried her legs open and sat up. Looking her directly in the eye, Anthony pulled his wet finger out and placed it into his mouth, taking in her taste. As he gradually leaned down towards her thighs, Sofia realized what he planned to do.

"**No!**" she cried, barely seeing through her tears. "Please, **don't!**"

Anthony never took his eyes off of hers as he slowly bent his head down and laid a kiss right over Sofia's core. When she felt his tongue on her for the first time, she instinctively tried to kick him off, only for her legs to be firmly held open and pinned. She turned away, trying not to get sick, but another pinch to her thigh forced her focus back on what was happening.

As he slipped his tongue into the girl's opening, Anthony looked up at her. Her face was red with her tears, but his drive increased when he heard a throaty moan escape her. He rested his hands on her hips and attacked her with no mercy.

In a matter of minutes, Sofia was soon overcome by her own cries of bliss. She was forced to close her eyes due to the sensations, but Anthony no longer cared. He continued vigorously, overwhelmed by the heavenly taste floating across his tongue. Moving his hand, he gently but firmly started playing with the little bundle of nerves.

Before long, Sofia cried out as her loins exploded into spasms. Anthony didn't miss a drop of the girl's sweet aftermath, kissing her thighs after she was done. He slowly crawled back up her body, finding her turned away. She was half panting and half weeping. His calm demeanor returning, Anthony took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately, forcing her own essence into her mouth.

Sofia squealed, disgusted with both Anthony and herself. She thrashed and squirmed, eventually causing Anthony to slowly free her lips from his kiss. He stared down at her, admiring the post-orgasmic blush in her cheeks. As he bent down to kiss her again, Sofia tried vainly to turn away.

"No!" she whimpered, her insides twisting in revulsion. "_Stop_…"

But Anthony merely tightened his grip on her face. As he descended on her, he placed a very gentle kiss against her lips, not nearly as brutal as he had done so before. Sofia closed her eyes, holding her lips tightly shut as Anthony gently nudged at them with his tongue. He eventually pulled back, knowing she wouldn't let him in. Instead, he tenderly kissed away the tears that were streaming from Sofia's eyes.

Afterwards, he went ahead and untied the girl's wrists. She immediately tried to scramble off of the bed, but Anthony grabbed her around the waist and pulled her backwards. He wrestled her onto her back and firmly cradled her face, forcing her to look at him.

_Stop denying the pleasure you feel, Sofia. Don't pretend to be disgusted by me when you're not._

The passionate look in his eye seemed to convey his thoughts to Sofia, and all she could do was silently cry.

_I'm disgusting…I can't possibly feel this way…_

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_**Let me know what you think.**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Hello again. Just FYI, there will be attempted non-con and dub-con in this chapter. Proceed with caution…**_

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A year.

Sofia could hardly believe it. But at the same time, it was all too real. It had been nearly an entire year since she was taken from the outside world, since she lost her father, since she became a prisoner in a gilded cage all over again.

If it weren't for the television set Anthony had recently gotten for her as a reward for behaving for the past several months, Sofia wouldn't have even seen what day it was. Every day had simply come and gone, one exactly like the other. Her brain had become almost dull, to the point where she almost forgot that her twentieth birthday was approaching within the next couple days.

Anthony noticed this. True, she had been very good during the passing months. She never talked back, she ate when told to do so, and if she had ever tried to escape again, he hadn't caught her. Still, he noticed how quiet and somber she had become. She had always been so ever since arriving at the house, but it had slowly gotten worse. No matter what he did to try and cheer her up, she acted like a zombie.

Getting her the TV seemed to help a small bit, but not much. Then, Anthony remembered that her birthday was coming up.

_Maybe I can surprise her…_

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few days later, after giving Sofia her breakfast, Anthony led her back upstairs. Before they got to the door, he put his hands over her eyes, carefully guiding her into the bedroom. They took a few more steps before he removed his hands, revealing the surprise.

On the bed, there were a few pairs of jeans, some shirts, as well as new pajamas and undergarments. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Sofia was overjoyed to see them. She turned to Anthony, who was already prepared.

**"You've been so well-behaved for a long time, so I've decided to give this privilege back to you. Happy birthday."**

He smiled, and Sofia couldn't help but smile back.

"Oh, my…wow, thank you so much!"

She immediately went to the bed and started putting on one of the outfits. As she did so, Anthony smiled and backed out of the room, closing the door to grant her privacy.

Just as she was slipping on some socks, Sofia paused. She felt…grateful. It took her a while to notice, but she still couldn't believe she felt gratitude towards this man.

_He…not only did he kill my father and kidnap me, but he…he stripped me, embarrassed me, __**touched**__ me…and I'm feeling __**grateful?**__ Like him returning my clothes is some amazing favor that I should be __**lucky**__ to receive from him? This __**murderer?**_

__Sofia slowly sunk to the floor, covering her mouth to silence her sobs. But she couldn't stop the tears of shame from flowing down her cheeks.

_No…__**no**__. This is __**not**__ gonna turn into a Stockholm thing. I have a life, and __**he's **__ruining it for me. He's being all nice to me, but he just wants me as his own little toy that he can play with whenever he wants…__**No!**__ I'm __**not**__ going to be grateful to this son of a bitch! __**He's**__ the one doing wrong, not me! If I can't escape, I swear I'll…_

Her heart nearly stopped at the possibility. She felt both excitement and fear all at once.

_I can try, but…I have to do it right the first time! Then I can find a phone and call for help, show the police his secret room. Oh, God, but if I don't succeed, he'll probably kill me!_

Then again, compared to the alternative, Sofia wouldn't mind that much.

OOOOOOOOOO

The next morning, Anthony made Sofia a special breakfast. He knew she liked pancakes, and he wanted to add to her happiness from the previous day. It was all set up, complete with syrup and a glass of milk. Sofia forced a smile, though her secret plan took away most of her hunger.

"Thanks," she said quietly, allowing Anthony to pull her chair back.

As she slowly started to eat, her captor walked over to the sink and started washing some dishes. While his back was turned, Sofia glanced around the room. Her heart raced as she noticed a knife block on the counter next to the refrigerator. It was too risky to try and reach it while he was in the room, but the girl was suddenly struck with an idea. She lifted her milk to drink it, subtly letting it slip from her fingers. Anthony whirled around after hearing the smash behind him.

"I'm sorry!" Sofia cried, feigning her fear. "Please, it was an accident! I didn't mean to…"

Anthony took her face in his hands, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. He slowly shook his head and gave her a small smile, indicating for her to calm down. After a moment, he took out his pad.

**"Don't worry, accidents happen. I'm just glad you're not hurt. I'll go get the broom, but just stay here and don't walk on the floor until I clean it."**

Sofia nodded in understanding as Anthony left the room. Not wasting a moment of time, she carefully walked across the room towards the block. However, just as she reached the counter, a sharp pain shot through her heel. She hissed in pain, but held it in as she took a knife from the block, limped back to her chair, and sat down. Pulling her injured foot into her lap, she eventually pulled out the glass shard and threw it aside. Suddenly, she heard footsteps. She quickly took the knife and hid it under her legs as Anthony re-entered the room with a dustpan and brush.

As he looked at the pile of glass, he skimmed the floor to make sure no pieces had gone flying. Just then, he noticed something odd.

_What's that on the floor by the counter? Is it…blood?_

He looked a bit closer, seeing that there were a few other red droplets that led across the floor towards…

_But why would she want to go over there?_

Suddenly, Anthony saw that one of the slots in the knife block was empty. Pure anger and betrayal coursed through him as he realized what happened. Meanwhile, oblivious to this, Sofia silently waited.

_Come on. Bend over and start sweeping, so I can…_

Then, her captor stood up straight and looked from the knife block to her. His gaze became harsh and dangerous, making Sofia squirm. It was at that moment when she knew her cover was blown. She quickly stood up and backed away a few steps, brandishing the knife.

"You're going to show me where the phone is," she said through clenched teeth. "I'm going to call the police, show them all of your dirty little secrets, and you'll spend the rest of your life in prison where you belong. Now, where's the phone?"

Not taking his eyes off of her, Anthony slowly shook his head. As he started to gradually move towards her, Sofia held the knife even tighter.

"I won't ask again, Anthony."

Just then, he stopped. He took a moment to write in his pad before showing Sofia.

**"If you drop the knife right now, I won't punish you too severely. But it would be a very big mistake if you took this any further than you already have. Just drop it before I take it from you."**

His warning made Sofia shiver slightly, but her resolve was strong.

_Even if you do give up, you'll be punished and he'll probably keep you tied up at all times. It's now or never!_

She backed away even more. Anthony resumed moving towards her, his face more vicious than ever before.

"Stay back!" Sofia shouted, but Anthony only walked faster.

Before long, she felt her back his the stairs. Her captor was seconds away from closing in on her.

_Do it, Sofia…__**do it!**_

She swung the knife, but Anthony grabbed her wrist, moving it to the side. As he reached his free hand forward to take the blade, Sofia twisted her grip on it. Anthony winced as the knife cut his palm, but pushed the pain back. He immediately swung his fist and knocked the knife from the girl's hands, forcing a horrified gasp from her.

Anthony pulled her wrist, making her fall into his arms. He tried to get her limbs pinned, but not before the thrashing girl brought her foot down hard on his toe. Pain shot through his extremities, and his grip slackened slightly. Sofia immediately pulled away and curled her fingers into a fist, swiftly punching Anthony right in the jaw.

He growled as his lower lip started to bleed. Just as he saw Sofia running for the knife, he regained his senses and stormed at her. Before Sofia was able to reach her goal, she was tackled to the floor. Her last shred of hope disappeared as Anthony kicked the knife several yards away and pinned her down.

After waiting a few minutes for Sofia's struggles to cease, Anthony circled his arms around hers, holding them to her sides. Sofia screamed and kicked as she was dragged up the stairs, into the bedroom, and onto the bed. She could do nothing as he yanked her pajama pants and underwear down her legs before reaching for his own belt. Pure horror ran through the girl as she realized what was about to happen.

"**No!**" she cried. "_Don't!_ I'm sorry, I'll never do it again! **Stop!**"

For the first few moments, Anthony wasn't affected by her pleas. A fury unlike anything he'd ever felt ran through him, and his dormant desire to punish Sofia to the fullest extent rose to the surface. However, just as he positioned himself at her entrance, a little voice inside of him screamed at the top of its lungs.

_Anthony, __**STOP!**__ Don't do this to your Sofia. You love her, you'd rather die than let anything bad happen to her! She'll never forgive you for this. Don't let her first time be something she cringes at. It's supposed to be beautiful. You can make it beautiful, but…not like this!_

Anthony stared at the sobbing young woman beneath him. A horrid guilt overcame him, and as quickly as he could, he put himself away and walked out the door, making sure to lock it securely. Sofia retrieved her bottoms and hugged them to her, overwhelmed by fear over what almost happened.

OOOOOOOOOOO

She was left alone for the rest of the day. Anthony didn't even check to see if she wanted dinner. This was just as well, since her will to eat was completely gone. Even as the hours passed and it became dark again, she couldn't get herself to relax. At every moment, she expected Anthony to burst through the door and have his way with her until he was satisfied.

But at the same time, part of her knew he wouldn't. Since she found out about his true nature, Anthony had promised that he would never hurt her to that extent. Despite this, Sofia was truly frightened by the fact that he almost did.

_But he didn't. He stopped himself and exited the situation._

She found herself feeling thankful yet again, but tried to stop herself.

_ You have nothing to thank him for, Sofia! What he was about to do would've been wrong in every way. It would've been entirely __**his**__ fault, not yours!_

As she got ready for bed, Sofia tried to push the thoughts out of her mind. She was eventually able to calm herself enough so that when she climbed into bed, her body automatically became less tense. The day had taken a large toll on her mind, and she was starting to feel the effects. It didn't take long for her eyes to slowly get heavy…

OOOOOOOOOOOO

About an hour later, Anthony had finished carefully tying Sofia's wrists to the headboard. Moving very slowly as to not wake her, he reached down and tugged gently on her bottoms until they slid down her smooth legs. After doing the same with her underwear, he took her top and gradually moved it up her torso until it rested by her bound hands.

Once the girl was completely bare before him, Anthony sat down next to her on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to wake up. He felt horrible for what he nearly did that morning. He simply couldn't control himself. Sofia had been so well behaved, only to try and kill him? After he'd been so wonderful to her?

_She keeps hurting me, and sometimes I think she deserves a harsher punishment, but…nobody deserves to be violated in the worst way. I'll make it up to you tonight, Sofia._

After a few more moments, Sofia's eyes fluttered a bit before opening completely. She saw Anthony sitting by her side, and within a few seconds, she started to squirm. Anthony quickly placed his hands on her hips, stilling most of her movements as she started to weep.

"Don't do this," she cried, fear overcoming her. "Please, you _promised_ you wouldn't!"

Anthony looked at her for a few seconds before retrieving his pad.

**"I said I wouldn't rape you."**

Sofia nodded, trying to persuade him. However, he wrote something else.

**"I never said I wouldn't make love to you."**

At this, the girl's heart started to pound violently. The tears she'd been trying to hold back escaped her eyes as Anthony slowly kneeled on the floor. Pulling at his shoelaces, he took them off before his socks followed. He unbuttoned his dark coat, tossed it aside, and started to pull his black shirt off. Sofia closed her eyes, shaking her head slowly.

_No! Please, God, this can't be happening…_

Anthony stared at Sofia as he dropped his shirt, gradually moving to undo his pants. His heart ached with guilt, as he didn't want to scare her. Still, the determination within him had never been stronger. He wanted tonight to be gentle, tender, and intimate.

Once he matched Sofia in his nakedness, Anthony slowly approached the bed and moved over the horrified girl. He stopped her struggles by sitting on her thighs, causing Sofia to cry out in disgust. She tried to keep her head turned away, but Anthony leaned down and took her face in his hands, making her look at him. She made one last attempt to get away, but her captor leaned down the rest of the way, so that he had every part of Sofia's body completely pinned.

Trying to ignore the sensation of Anthony's skin against hers, Sofia stared into his blue eyes pleadingly.

"_Don't…_" she whispered weakly, barely seeing him through her tears. "Please don't do this…"

"Shhhh…" Anthony quietly cooed back, leaning down to kiss away his captive's tears.

Sofia closed her eyes as Anthony gently pressed his lips to hers.

He was careful not to be too forceful with the kiss, as he wanted this to be all about Sofia's pleasure. Her history never said anything about her being romantically involved with anyone, but Anthony couldn't be sure about whom she met with during the rare moments when she was allowed to leave the mansion. But no matter what, whether she was a virgin or not, he intended to be gentle.

After a while, his lips trailed down to her neck, and he breathed in the sweet scent of her flesh. He closed his eyes and savored it as he reached her collarbone.

Sofia had her eyes tightly shut. She was determined not to let this affect her. Her lack of resistance during all the other instances had left her disgusted and confused. It had to have been purely physical. Her body would react to this whether it came from her father's killer of the love of her life…right?

But as much as she wanted to deny it, she knew that wasn't true. There was something about the tenderness of Anthony's hands and lips, the way he ran his fingertips across her skin, how he made her feel things she never thought were possible to feel…

She knew she couldn't be in love with him. The fact that he murdered several people, her father included, it was simply too much for her. But still…

_I was weirded out by him when we first met, back when I thought he was part of some witness protection thing. He struck me as a little odd, but…I did feel something. He was so quiet, mysterious, and so kind to me. And he seemed so determined to not let anything happen to me, which hasn't changed…_

Sofia opened her eyes just as Anthony was about to start on her breasts.

"Anthony…"

He immediately looked up at her. Their eyes connected, and the girl searched for an answer. It didn't take long for her to see the pure adoration in Anthony's bright blue orbs. This alone confirmed her suspicion.

She kept staring at him, tears slowly brimming her eyes. Not wanting to see her so upset, Anthony reached up and cradled her cheek in his hand, dabbing her tears away with his thumb. All she did was look at him, pleading with her eyes.

_Please…you love me, you care about me. But there's a difference between love and obsession. If you __**truly**__ loved me, you wouldn't make me do this!_

Despite her silent request, Anthony continued to pepper her chest with passionate kisses. Something inside of Sofia suddenly gave way, and she stopped resisting altogether. Anthony took her relaxation as an okay to continue, pouring all of his feelings into what he was doing.

As he persisted in making Sofia's entire body quake in pleasure, she simply laid there, quiet tears rolling down her face.

_I don't know if he's loved before…maybe he __**thinks**__ it's love, but…there's nothing I can do now._

Anthony gently kissed Sofia's cheek as he carefully slipped into her, finding the answer to his earlier question. Sofia cried out in pain, feeling horribly stretched and torn. But Anthony waited patiently, trying to sooth her with tiny kisses to her forehead and brow. After about five minutes or so, he slowly started to move again. Sofia felt a little stab of pain, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it was at first. A little while later, Anthony had increased his speed, erasing Sofia's pain and replacing it with the all-too-familiar excitement she remembered from before.

As Sofia became lost in the throes of pleasure a few minutes later, Anthony cupped her face firmly and looked deep into her eyes. He was nearly going mad at the feeling of Sofia's inner walls pulsing around him. It was so much more magical than he imagined, and he wanted to remember every second. Before too long, Sofia felt herself reaching her peak.

"Oh, _God,_ I…_I'm_…"

Anthony leaned his forehead against hers, making her see him.

_Yes, Sofia. That's right. Cry out for me. Please…just show me how I'm making you feel…_

A few seconds later, a loud cry of bliss escaped Sofia as her loins flew into spasms. Anthony was completely overcome by the beautiful woman beneath him. He didn't hold back one bit as he released deep inside her, letting out a shriek of pure ecstasy. After the waves had passed through him, he collapsed on top of Sofia, burying his face into her hair and kissing her neck softly.

Sofia didn't feel him untying her, nor did she notice her wrists resting at her sides. Even the feeling of Anthony pulling her into his arms and entwining his limbs with hers didn't even register in her brain. All she could do was lie perfectly still, distracting herself from reality by reluctantly embracing what was. She prayed for the sweet mercy of sleep, which eventually came.

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_**Let me know what you think.**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**And we're back. Read on!**_

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Her eyes fluttered open. In an instant, she sat up in bed, the sheets tangled with her legs.

_What the heck…?_

As soon as Sofia saw the blood on the sheets and on her inner thighs, it all came rushing back. Anthony on top of her, his hands and lips all over, him entering her…

_And I…I __**enjoyed**__ it?_

She covered her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. It felt as if her whole body was covered in filth, giving off a horrid odor. Moving carefully as to not irritate the cut on her foot, Sofia got out of the bed and ran into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

After staring at the door for a moment, she turned to the tub and cranked the water handle, activating the shower. She stepped in and closed the curtain. For the next several minutes, Sofia merely let the hot water flow down her body. She was simply too numb to do anything.

Then, she took the bar of soap and started to wash herself. It didn't take very long for her to wash away the evidence of the previous night, but even after there was nothing left, the unclean feeling still remained. No matter how hard Sofia rubbed the soap against her skin, it still felt as if the muck had hardened into stone. It became too much, and the girl sank to the floor of the tub, her body overtaken by sobs.

Sofia lost count of how many minutes she sat there, and frankly, she didn't care. All she wanted to do was stay there and drown. But even so, death frightened her greatly.

_If I don't get out soon, he'll probably come in…_

She turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping a towel around her dripping body. After going back into the bedroom and approaching the dresser, she discovered empty spaces where her clothes should have been. Her pajamas were nowhere to be found either. Despite this, she wasn't surprised.

Just then, she heard the door open behind her, closing a few seconds later. The floorboards creaked with every step Anthony took, and the very sound of the wood made Sofia grip her towel even tighter. When she felt his hand gently graze her bare shoulder, she immediately pulled away and faced him.

Anthony didn't look quite as intimidating as he usually did. Instead of his black suit jacket and pants, he wore a navy blue sweater with dark jeans. Sofia expected his demeanor to be dangerous and demanding, but he merely looked at her calmly.

As she stared at the man who deflowered her, Sofia felt a mixture of fear, disgust, and anger. The mere sight of Anthony made her want to hurt him ten times worse than he had hurt her. But all she could do was look at him.

After another moment or two, Anthony slowly stepped forward and reached for the girl. Sofia tried to run past him, but he caught her around the waist and pulled her to him.

"No, let me go!" she cried as the assassin sat on the bed with her in tow.

She continued to cry and thrash as Anthony leaned against the headboard, pulling Sofia against his chest. He was eventually able to seize both her wrists and hold them across her torso. When she squirmed again, Anthony tightened his embrace, effectively trapping the girl in his arms.

Sofia couldn't fight any longer. Her muscles were sore enough from the previous night, and she didn't want to hurt herself too badly. She tried to lean her head away, but Anthony propped his legs up and pulled her further into his lap, resting his head against hers. As Sofia tried to get away, she started losing her grip on the towel.

"Don't," she wept. "_Please…_"

But she was helpless as Anthony gently pulled the towel away and tossed it onto the floor before replacing his hold on her. For the next several minutes, he rocked her back and forth in his arms, gently pressing small kisses against her cheek and neck. While doing this, he trailed a hand down to his captive's center.

"**No!** Please, no, I'm so sore…"

Anthony didn't stop, but he treaded carefully. He ghosted his fingers around Sofia's opening, inspecting for any damage. Knowing the girl's shower had probably washed away most of the visible evidence, he became worried about the extent of her wounds.

He slowly released his grip on Sofia and walked into the bathroom. After a few moments, he re-entered with some sort of ointment tube. Sofia took one look and recoiled from the approaching man.

"Get back!"

Anthony stopped and pointed at the writing on the tube. Sofia's fear eased slightly as she saw that it was anti-pain medicine. She slowly reached out to take it, but Anthony shook his head, moving to sit across from her. When he placed his hands on Sofia's knees and tried to open her legs, the girl instantly panicked.

"No, I can do it myself."

Anthony no longer had the patience to fight with her. In a couple minutes, he had tied Sofia's wrists back to the bed. She was powerless to stop him as he spread her legs and coated a finger in the ointment. Despite the violation she felt upon his finger entering her, the relief caused by the medicine was very soothing. It still stung a bit, and she whimpered in pain.

Anthony stared at her as he applied the ointment. He felt bad for what happened. Even though Sofia's body enjoyed it, he wasn't stupid enough to think that made it okay. After all, he'd constantly promised that he wouldn't force himself on her, but after her attempt on his life, he simply didn't know what else to do. He had to teach her to obey him, and it proved to be difficult without using his skills as a torturer.

_No…I'd never hurt her in that way. But she's obviously disgusted by me, and by the things I make her feel. I'll just keep using that to my advantage for as long as it takes. One way or another, she'll submit._

Anthony continued treating Sofia's damaged core, trying to ignore her tears.

OOOOOOOOOO

For most of the day, he left her alone. By the time the evening rolled around, Sofia was starting to think he wouldn't visit her at all, which made her happy. It was almost too good to be true. However, just as she was starting to relax, the door opened, revealing Anthony.

He shut the door behind him and approached Sofia on the bed. She had an impulse to try and run, but thought better of it. Anthony carefully sat down next to her and wrote something out.

**"You and I need to talk about what happened yesterday."**

Sofia looked away, tightening the sheets around her naked form.

"There's nothing to talk about. I tried to get my life back, and you raped me. What more is there to say?"

**"I didn't plan to do so, but after what you did, I had no other choice."**

Sofia scoffed, not bothering to look at him.

"Oh, so I deserved it? Of course, because God forbid I break one of your precious rules, you're free to use me in any way. Sorry, I forgot the protocol."

**"Sofia, I wouldn't have to hurt you if you'd just stop fighting me."**

She turned to look into his eyes, remembering what she saw in them the previous night.

"If you were trying to hurt me, why'd you stop yourself after breakfast? You were ready to force me, to hurt me so much that I'd never anger you again, but you just walked away."

Anthony blinked, hoping that he was hiding his thoughts.

"And what you did last night…it hurt. It hurt me in so many ways, but…it didn't feel like you were trying to hurt me."

Slowly shaking his head, Anthony gently reached out and laid his hand upon Sofia's. He stared at her, not wanting her to think he'd ever want her to be unhappy.

Sofia looked at him, not bothering to recoil from his touch.

"What're you waiting for, Anthony? What do you want?"

After hesitating for a few moments, Anthony took the girl's hand and brought it to his lips. He softly kissed her palm, holding it against his cheek for a little while before moving the hand to rest over his heart. Sofia looked at his desperate expression, almost feeling guilty.

"No, you don't." Anthony started to react, but Sofia was too fast for him. "You _don't_. You just _think_ you do."

Desperate to convince her, Anthony grasped the girl's hand in both of his, trying with all his power to speak with his eyes.

"You should know the difference between being in love and being obsessed."

The assassin's eyes narrowed as he shook his head, not wanting to hear it. Before Sofia had a chance to speak again, Anthony was writing on his pad again.

**"Don't even think about pinning all the psychological issues on me. I have nothing to hide. Unlike you, I'm not in denial."**

Angered, Sofia immediately retaliated.

"What're you even talking about? I never said I was in denial about anything!"

**"You have no right to say I don't love you. It's just your infantile way of dealing with your own feelings for me."**

"I don't have any feelings for you."

**"You're lying. I saw the way you looked at me last night. You can deny it all you want, but there was a part of you that liked what I did."**

"No!" Sofia shouted, clutching the covers tighter. "I couldn't _ever_ like anything you do!"

**"You're still lying. Every time I provoke a reaction from your body, you always act devastated, like I've torn out a piece of your heart. You want to be angry with me, but deep down, you're angry with yourself for feeling pleasure at the hands of your father's murderer."**

Sofia felt the urge to lunge at him, but it would only prove his point. She shook her head as she answered.

"You're wrong. Maybe my body felt something last night, and all those other times, but my brain felt nothing but disgust. I told you to stop more times than I can remember, and you didn't. And that fact alone proves how delusional you are about your supposed love for me. If you truly loved someone, you'd never even think about intentionally hurting them, let alone holding them prisoner for your own selfish reasons."

Anthony gazed at Sofia for a very long time before writing out a reply.

**"You're not doing yourself any favors by denying the truth."**

"I'm _not_—"

Before the girl could finish her protest, Anthony instantly reached forward to cradle the back of her head and yank her forward, using his free hand to cover her mouth. He held it there for a little while, only removing it when he was sure Sofia wouldn't try anything. After releasing her, he reached for his pad again.

**"You're done talking. I don't want to hear another word from you for the rest of the night."**

Sofia wanted nothing more than to fight it, but she was simply too drained to reason with him anymore.

**"What you did yesterday was completely unacceptable. My past warnings obviously haven't had any effect on you, so you can rest assured that your punishment will be much more severe than usual."**

Anthony wanted to comfort Sofia when tears of fear filled her eyes, but held himself back. He had to be firmer with her if she was going to learn respect.

**"I realize you're still sore, so I'll let you rest tonight. But don't make the mistake of thinking that I'll be less angry tomorrow, or that you'll be able to cry your way out of it. You broke my rules, and you have to accept the consequences."**

Sofia looked down, unable to restrain her tears. She hated herself for crying in front of her captor, but it was too much to bear.

"**You brought this on yourself, Sofia."**

After staring at her for a little while longer, Anthony turned and left the room, leaving Sofia to dwell in her terror.

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_**Let me know what you think.**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**And we're back. This chapter has strong mature content, so beware. Read on!**_

**0000000000000**

She felt two hands on her shoulders, shaking her awake. As Sofia opened her eyes and saw Anthony above her, a surge of fear ran through her spine. Today was when he would punish her for the knife incident. Before she could even think about running, her wrists and ankles were tightly bound once more.

"Stop!" she screamed, knowing it would do no good.

Anthony scooped her into his arms and carried her down the stairs. Once they reached the kitchen table, Sofia was placed onto her chair. She knew better than to fight Anthony as he spoon-fed her some yogurt, but despite not giving him any trouble, there was no doubt in her mind that it would be a very long day.

After she was done, Sofia nervously looked down as Anthony slowly circled the table, never moving his gaze away from her. Though determined to teach her a lesson, he truly wasn't looking forward to carrying out his plan. Still, he knew that one thing she hated doing was submitting to him. Taking out his pad, he made one final attempt to reason with her.

**"I meant what I said yesterday, but it won't be quite as bad under the right circumstances."**

Sofia reluctantly glanced at him, knowing there was a catch.

**"Are you ready to apologize to me?"**

It took all of Sofia's strength to hold back a scoff.

"For what?"

There was a long moment of silence before Anthony slowly knelt down next to Sofia and stared her right in the eyes.

**"We both know the answer to that. If I get a sincere apology, it'll make things much easier for you."**

Turning away, Sofia was starting to lose her cool.

_Is he serious? He thinks I'm going to apologize? That obnoxious little…_

With each passing second, she felt herself getting angrier. A tiny voice in her head screamed at her to not make things worse, but she was already past the point of no return.

_You want an apology? You want me to do everything you say, show how scared I am of you? Fine!_

Sofia turned towards Anthony and swiftly spat in his face.

OOOOOOOOOOO

His eyes were closed.

She spat at him. After all of his warnings, all of his generous offers of mercy, she'd threw it in his face on a chariot of her saliva.

Not trusting himself to remain calm, Anthony stood up and went to the sink, wiping the spit off with a napkin. He stood there for a few more moments before walking back to the table and lifting Sofia up by her upper arms.

The girl struggled, but she was no match for the furious assassin, who dragged her up the stairs and into the bedroom. He threw her facedown onto the mattress and placed one hand against her lower back, holding her still while he used his free hand to brutally beat her backside.

Sofia shrieked in pain, but her squirms were useless. All she could do was count down the minutes until Anthony was finally done. Afterwards, her captor stood there, taking a few moments to calm himself. Once a sufficient amount of time had passed, the hot throbbing feeling in his head had lessened, and Sofia's soft weeping registered in his mind. Anthony felt a strong pang of guilt, but brushed it aside as he carried the girl into the bathroom. He sat Sofia onto the toilet and kneeled next to her.

**"If you have to go, do it now because you won't be getting another bathroom break for quite a while."**

Sofia looked down, realizing how drastically her actions in the kitchen had affected her punishment. Thankfully, her fear allowed her bladder to relax enough. Once she was done, Anthony wiped her dry and turned to the tub, activating the showerhead. As her captor started to undress in front of her, Sofia looked away. She tried to fight her terror, but she couldn't stop the tears from forming.

Once he was bare, Anthony knelt down and undid the ropes around Sofia's limbs. The girl instantly tried to run, but he caught her and dragged her into the shower. Sofia gasped, shocked by the cold water. She tried to pull back the curtain, but Anthony snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against his chest.

Sofia squirmed, hating how warm Anthony was in comparison to the water. She wanted to get away from him so badly, but the heat radiating from his skin was too overwhelming. After a moment, Anthony reached for the washcloth and started to rub it against Sofia's back. The girl barely noticed it, but even when she did, she could barely put up a fight.

"_Stop,_" she whimpered as Anthony moved to her front.

Not wanting to hear any more, he turned her around in his arms so her back pressed against him. He pinned her flailing arms behind her before washing her belly, slowly moving towards her chest. Afterwards, Sofia grimaced as Anthony nudged her legs open and washed the area between her legs. No matter how hard she struggled, the assassin's grip was too strong.

A few minutes later, Anthony took Sofia's shoulders and turned her to face him, pressing her against the tiled wall of the shower. He put the washcloth into her hand, looking at her expectantly.

"No_,_" Sofia begged, shaking her head. "No, _please_…"

Anthony took his hand into his, forcing her fingers to grasp the cloth as he brought it towards him. Sofia cried helplessly as she was made to wash her captor. Nonetheless, it wasn't any worse that the first time she had to do so. Anthony eventually released her hand, moving his to her elbow to gradually guide him across his body.

Sofia cringed, knowing what part of him she would have to clean next. She took a small breath and reminded herself of the washcloth that stood between her and him. Without waiting for instruction, Sofia bent over a bit and scrubbed Anthony's upper legs, eventually moving back up to his hips. However, before she could start on his privates, Anthony took her hand, stopping her.

Confused, Sofia looked at him as he took away the washcloth, placing it at the edge of the tub. Turning away for a moment, Anthony grabbed the showerhead and bent it down a bit, sending the flow of water away from them. He then took both the girl's hands and poured some liquid soap into them, taking her wrists and making her palms rub together. Once he saw a sufficient amount of lather, Anthony took Sofia's hands into his and slowly led them downwards.

Sofia's eyes widened in horror as she realized what he wanted her to do.

"No!"

She tried to yank her hands out of his grasp, but Anthony pulled her back and stormed forward, pinning the girl's body against the wall with his own. Sofia sobbed in disgust as Anthony moved her hands onto his organ, making her fingers grasp him. After a little while longer, he placed his own hands on Sofia's elbows, giving her a warning glare.

Sofia reluctantly continued, not wanting to make things worse. As she made herself carry out her task, she tried to move quickly. However, Anthony's firm grasp on her elbows slowed her movements considerably. Realizing the whole shower was intended to revolt and humiliate her, she bit back a sob.

_No, don't you dare cry. You don't deserve this, you have nothing to be sorry for._

Finally, after Anthony washed the girl's hair, he turned off the water. Sofia barely noticed it when he helped her out of the tub and rubbed her down with a towel. She felt so dirty, so used…

Anthony scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom, placing her onto the bed. When she didn't move, he went back into the bathroom to retrieve his clothes and Sofia's ropes. He placed his pad onto the nightstand and dropped the other items before refocusing on Sofia. She tried to crawl away, but Anthony settled next to her and enveloped her into his arms.

"Oh, get _away!_" the girl screamed. "Leave me _alone!_"

Anthony stared at her tear-stained face, slowly shaking his head.

_Sofia…I can't stand making you cry. But you're not giving me any other choice._

He sat up against the headboard, moving Sofia so she lay next to him. She was still shivering from the shower, so Anthony carefully moved over her and slid an arm under her shoulders, pulling her against his form. After staring down at her for a few more seconds, he took one of her small hands and guided it towards him.

"_No,_" she whispered, knowing it wouldn't help her.

Anthony bit back a groan as Sofia's fingers touched his hardening flesh. He'd been with other women in his life, but nothing they did felt nearly as wonderful as this small contact.

Sofia tried to pull away from him, but Anthony merely tightened his arm around her, moving his other hand to her wrist when she attempted to release him. A whimper broke its way out of her as he squeezed her wrist in a warning manner. Wanting to get this horrid deed over with, Sofia looked away and started to move her hand faster. However, Anthony tightened his hold on her wrist, silently motioning for her to slow down. Sofia grimaced, but complied.

After a few minutes of this, Anthony manually moved the girl's wrist more rapidly. Getting the hint, Sofia increased her speed, wanting it to be done. She eventually went to let go of him, but Anthony wouldn't let her. Suddenly, without warning, he threw his head back as the essence of his climax coated Sofia's hand within a few seconds.

Disgusted, Sofia held back her tears as she grabbed a sheet to wipe her hand clean. However, before she could, Anthony took her hand and brought it towards him, pulling Sofia closer in the process. He wiped up a bit of the liquid with his finger and moved it to Sofia's lips.

"No, stop!"

Sofia turned away and squirmed with all her might. Anthony grabbed her chin and tried to pull her back, but she pushed him away and grasped the blankets, nearly wiping her hand raw in an attempt to clean herself. Leaning back against the headboard, Anthony sighed in frustration, wiping his finger on the sheets.

After taking a few breaths, Sofia tried to get up. However, Anthony immediately leaned forward and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her tightly against him. His limbs caged her firmly, and she could do nothing as he quickly reached out and got his pad.

**"It would've been best for you to just try some. You might as well get used to it."**

At this, Sofia's eyes widened in disgust. She looked at Anthony, who returned her gaze calmly.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

**"I think you know exactly what I mean."**

Sofia shook her head, trying vainly to wriggle away from Anthony as the tears filled her eyes.

"No…**anything** but that! _Please_…"

**"Relax, you don't have to do it until later."**

This did nothing to calm the girl, and her sobs started to overtake her. Anthony moved a hand to her forehead and gently stroked it, running his fingers through her hair every now and then. He couldn't deny the slight feeling of sadness at Sofia's disgust for the next punishment, as he'd always hoped that she'd grow to enjoy his affections one day. After a couple minutes, he laid down, taking Sofia with him. The least he could do was keep her calm.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

They stayed like that until dinnertime. Only then did Anthony finally let Sofia use the bathroom again. As soon as she was done, he re-bound her limbs and carried her downstairs to the kitchen table. He didn't even bother to put his own clothes back on.

Sofia didn't resist her spoon-feeding session, but it was hard to keep the food down with the bile rising in her throat.

The physical liaisons Anthony had forced her to take part in since the beginning were very foreign to her. Edward had never taught her about sex, as he'd obviously assumed she'd be living with him forever. Still, when Sofia was out and about, sometimes she'd overhear a few lewd conversations. And at times, when she was alone in the mansion, she'd do a little bit of research.

Even though she didn't learn a great deal from it, one thing stuck out. The act of lovemaking is never supposed to be forced or hurtful. It's meant to be one of the most beautiful things about life, and the most magical act between two people that love each other.

_This isn't beautiful…this is the worst thing I've ever felt…_

Tears fell down Sofia's cheeks as she was carried up the stairs and placed back onto the bed. Anthony joined her moments later, pulling her into an embrace. When he felt the girl's cries vibrate through her body, he cupped her face with one hand, pressing his lips against her forehead.

After a little while, he wrote something out for her.

**"Sofia, this doesn't have to be so horrible for you. It's the final part of your penalty for today, and if you do everything right, it'll be over sooner."**

Sofia tried to take a few breaths as Anthony took her shoulders and slowly started to lean her further down his form. Once she was resting against his thighs, she made one last attempt to get away. However, her wrists and ankles were tied too tightly.

Anthony wrote out one final message.

**"Don't even think about biting me."**

Closing her eyes tightly, Sofia didn't resist as her captor took her head between his hands and moved her into position.

At first, it wasn't quite as revolting as Sofia imagined it would be. Then again, they had both showered earlier in the day, so it wasn't a surprise. Eventually, something clicked in her head, and she forced herself to calm down.

_You heard what he said…once this is over, you're done for the day. Just get it done!_

His hands on her head made it difficult to go faster, but Sofia blocked it out, trying to think of something else.

Meanwhile, Anthony was nearly brain-dead. He always thought this would feel wonderful, but his dreams didn't even hold a candle to the real thing. Shockingly, it didn't even take long before…

Sofia sputtered as the milky substance suddenly shot into her mouth. Anthony's grip on her loosened, and she immediately bent over the side of the bed, spitting out as much of it as she could. Her eyes watered heavily as her senses tried to recover from the horribly bitter taste. After catching his breath, Anthony suddenly felt angry.

_She…she spat it out? Oh, no…that's __**not**__ going to happen._

He grabbed Sofia and pulled her against him as he got his pad again.

**"For that, you're going to do it again once I'm ready."**

"_No!_" the girl shouted. "You said once I did it…"

**"If you did everything right, it'd be over. You didn't look at me once, and you went too fast. This time, look into my eyes while you do it. And go slower until I say differently."**

Sofia sobbed in revulsion as Anthony gradually got more excited.

**"And when it's over, I want you to swallow it. Every time you spit it out, I'll make you do it again."**

Barely seeing through her tears, Sofia tried to read the final bit of writing.

**"If you'd just done it right the first time, it'd be done by now. The more you cry, the longer it'll take before you can stop."**

As much as she wanted to throw up, Sofia made herself control her breathing as Anthony led her back down his body. Some of his aftermath was still on him, and it assaulted her mouth. Still, she merely closed her eyes and blocked it out.

Anthony's thumbs brushed against her eyelids, and she remembered what he'd asked of her. Reluctantly, she looked up at him. He gazed at her with a look of approval, stroking her head like he would a cat. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she gradually continued, trying to ignore the wave of disgust running through her.

Anthony hated seeing her tears, especially while she was doing this. Still, he had better control over himself this time, so he was able to relax and enjoy the feeling. Her mouth felt so wonderful around him, and the soft texture of her hair between his fingers increased his pleasure greatly.

After a few minutes, Anthony moved Sofia's head to a more quick pace, causing her to gag. But he was beyond noticing as a low growl of bliss escaped him.

Sofia saw that he was no longer looking down at her, so she closed her eyes, wanting the nightmare to be over. It wasn't too much longer before he released into her mouth, holding her in place until he was done. He loosened his grip, but before Sofia even had a chance to turn away, Anthony put a hand over her mouth, rubbing his free hand down her neck.

The liquid made Sofia want to retch her innards out, but the hand stroking her throat was able to calm her reflexes enough for her to reluctantly swallow what was given to her. Once Anthony was sure of her obedience, he carefully undid the ropes around the girl's limbs.

Sofia instantly tried to run for the bathroom, desperate to wash the taste from her mouth. However, Anthony yanked her back and pinned her beneath him, claiming her lips with his.

In the past, he hated it when women would try to kiss him after having done what Sofia had just done. He would always recoil and send them on their way. However, there was something so intimate about tasting himself in Sofia's mouth. She was different, in so many ways.

Sofia pulled away and tried to struggle, but Anthony was too strong for her. He kissed her temple, eventually trailing down her neck. The girl was unable to do anything, except wait until sleep offered her an escape.

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_**Let me know what you think.**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**And we're back. Slight warning…there's a brief moment of attempted self-harm. Read on!**_

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Sofia woke up really early that morning, but she didn't get up. Anthony was still asleep, his arms wrapped firmly around her. All Sofia could do was lie there with her eyes closed.

Eventually, some time later, she felt Anthony untangle himself from her. He carefully placed the covers back over Sofia's form before bending down to gently kiss her cheek. In a matter of minutes, he was dressed and out of the room.

Moving very cautiously, Sofia sat up in the bed. She put her arms around herself, trying to ignore the aches all over her body. Vivid memories of the previous day were rapidly returning to her, making her stomach churn. Despite the blankets around her, Sofia suddenly felt cold.

_Is this how it's going to be for the rest of my life? I have to live in fear of making any mistakes, and every time I screw up, I'll be his personal sex slave?_

The mere notion of such a life forced sobs from her like a tidal wave, and her entire body shook with horror. She had given up on gaining her freedom. There was no chance of her escaping on her own, and killing Anthony was no longer an option, since he'd probably never trust her again. Even with all of these hopeless realizations, Sofia was not at all willing to live a life in which she wouldn't really be living.

Her foot still hurt from the glass, but she made herself hobble to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She looked around and rested her eyes on the glass cup next to the sink. A morbid but intriguing idea entered Sofia's mind as she took the cup and got into the bathtub, turning on the warm water.

Once the tub was nearly full, she stopped the faucet and lay back, staring at the cup in her hands.

Suicide had never been a possibility at any point during her life, but she wasn't so sure anymore. The chance of her living the life she wanted to live was completely diminished, and she truly didn't think she'd be able to stand spending one more moment in Anthony's company.

Moving very carefully as to not make too much noise, she brought the glass beneath the water and rammed it against the porcelain, breaking it into pieces. Her body shook as she took the biggest piece and pulled it up, placing it next to her wrist. The sharp edges cut into her fingers, but she no longer cared.

_Sweet God in heaven…forgive me…_

The moment Sofia started to cut the skin of her wrist, the bathroom door flew open. At the very sight of her captor, she started to press the glass deeper into her skin. However, Anthony was far too quick. He grabbed the girl's upper arms and heaved her up, dragging her out of the tub.

She tried to wriggle away, but in mere seconds, Anthony had yanked the glass from her and pushed her onto the bed. He sat upon her thighs and grabbed her injured wrist, handling it very carefully.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Anthony's heart was racing. He'd been doing some work in his concealed office when the security cameras showed what Sofia was trying to do. There wasn't really any time for him to think as pure adrenaline shot him up the stairs. But now, as he ripped a piece off one of the bed sheets and wrapped it tightly around the girl's wrist, his emotions started to set in.

_How…how…_

Once the bandage was tight enough, Anthony backed away from the bed, not wanting to be too close to Sofia.

_She was going to…? How could she __**ever…?**_

Something snapped. With an animalistic shriek, Anthony grabbed a nearby chair and hurled it across the room with all his might. One of the legs broke off of it as it crashed against the wall, and Sofia gasped in shock. Not wasting a moment, the furious assassin went to the dresser, pulled out a drawer, and smashed it until it splintered.

Meanwhile, Sofia wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to ignore the sting in her wrist. Her captor's violent behavior made her cringe. Now, not only could she not escape, she couldn't kill Anthony **or** herself. Her blood nearly turned to ice at the thought of what he'd do with her now.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Anthony pounced on the terrified girl. Before she could even think of getting away, he grabbed both her shoulders and yanked her towards him. He stared deep into her eyes with an expression of both rage and hurt. For a small moment, Sofia was positive that he would hit her.

But instead, he threw his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him. In a matter of seconds, Sofia could hear the vibrations of the sobs coursing through his body.

_He's…he's crying?_

OOOOOOOOOOO

Anthony couldn't even think straight. All he could do was hold Sofia as tightly as he could, terrified that she would slip away. Even on his most dangerous assignment, he had never felt so afraid in his entire life.

_She tried to __**kill **__herself? Why in God's name…?_

He couldn't stop the anguished cries from escaping his mouth as he cradled the girl firmly, slowly rocking her back and forth. The mere thought of her lying dead in the bloody bath water was more than unbearable to him, almost as unbearable as her being willing to do that to herself.

After a few minutes, Anthony heard quiet sniffles coming from Sofia. He leaned back slightly. His captive had her arms wrapped around herself, and she was looking down, trying to hide her tears. Moving very carefully as to not scare her, Anthony took her face into his hands and bent her head up, forcing her to look at him.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sofia had never seen Anthony cry before. Sure, his eyes were reddened on several occasions, but the tears had never left the eyes. She didn't doubt that he had some sort of care for her. But despite this, judging by the way he'd been treating her, she didn't think he would get this upset about her trying to kill herself.

Her own tears thickened as she stared at Anthony's wet cheeks. She wouldn't allow herself to feel guilty for doing what she did, but a very small part of her felt bad about making him react this strongly.

Anthony looked at her like he wanted to say something, but couldn't. Still, Sofia had gotten rather adept at reading his eyes, so his expression told all.

"I…" she whispered, "…I didn't know what else to do."

She tried to pull Anthony's hands away from her, but his grip was too strong. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a rush of fear ran through Sofia.

_Oh, God…if what I did this time was more horrible than ever before…what's he going to do?_

Not wanting to prolong her terror, she spoke up.

"Go on, just get on with it."

Anthony looked at her, slightly inquisitive.

"Whatever penalty I have to pay, just get it over with."

At this, he looked at her for a long time. Seeing her in this state didn't bring out his desire to punish her. He wasn't even angry enough; all he felt was pain and horror. And if the things he'd done to her in the past had made her feel that death was the only way out…

After hesitating for a moment, Anthony got his pad.

**"You want to know what to do to pay for this?"**

He got a weak nod in response.

**"Talk to me."**

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Confused, Sofia glanced at him. She didn't say anything, so he wrote something else.

**"I want you to talk to me."**

"About what?"

**"Anything. About how you're feeling now, how you've felt at any time, how you feel about me, anything like that. I don't care if your words aren't respectful, you won't be punished for it. I won't interrupt or say anything at all until you're done. Please don't hold anything back, just ****talk**** to me."**

The sight of his words fueled the fire within Sofia, the same fire that had been smoldered so many times by Anthony's numerous warnings and punishments. But now, his blessing for her to speak her mind virtually made her explode.

"Okay…okay, fine! I'll tell you everything I've felt since coming here. That's what you want?"

Anthony nodded, so she continued.

"Well, at first, I was heartbroken beyond belief at losing my dad, but I also felt safe with you. I felt that I could trust you, and that you were working hard to get me back to a normal life as soon as possible. I was anxious to go home and all, but talking to you made me feel so much better. And all those stories you made up when I asked if you'd found out anything new, I believed every single one of them!"

A stab of guilt ran through Anthony at this, but true to his word, he let her continue, never taking his eyes away from her.

"And the funny thing is…you could've made something up to make me think it'd never be safe to leave here, and I would've believed you, 'cause I _trusted_ you! And over time, I could've called this place home, and I would've grown to love it here. I might've _never_ found out. I was just looking at the books, and I touched the switch by mistake! And…oh, you can only imagine how _stupid_ I felt when I found out who you really are, and all you've done."

Tears started to fill Sofia's eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

"Yeah, really stupid. But it hurt. It hurt so _badly!_ I'd grown to trust you, and you betrayed me right from the start! And if that wasn't bad enough…when you told me I couldn't ever leave, it was worse than if I wound up going to jail. Because at jail, my warden wouldn't have been the person responsible for what I'd be accused of!"

One small droplet escaped her eye, but she ignored it.

"Of _course_ I tried to escape, why wouldn't I? But at jail, I probably would've just gotten extra time added on. With **you,** I…" She grimaced. "The things you did to me…I've never felt so disgusted and _violated_. And not only that, it made it all too clear that the reason you kidnapped me was because you…_wanted_ me. You kept saying you had no other choice…you could've sent the tape to the police and let me leave, but **no!** You held me prisoner, made me say and do things that I couldn't stand doing! It actually drove me to try and _kill_ you! I've **never** wanted to kill anyone before!"

Sofia stared down at her bandaged wrist.

"And I…I don't want to die, Anthony. It scares me, but…**you** scare me _so_ much more. Because…you have to understand that no matter what, I'm never going to stop fighting you, so you're never going to stop hurting me. And once I realized that, I…I just decided that death was the only way I was going to be able to free myself."

After a moment, she looked back at Anthony.

"That's not going to change. It scares me, but I still want to die. And I always will, every second I'm here."

She looked him right in the eyes as she spoke one final time.

"So there's a heads-up. You're gonna have to watch my every move, because at each second of every day, for as long as you continue to hold me against my wish, I'll always want to get as far away from you as possible. I'll always want you dead, and I'll always want to be dead. So you can do what you want. Punish me, hurt me in any way you want, but you'll have to live with that."

She was silent for several long moments, signaling that she was done. Anthony hesitantly got his pad and wrote something out.

**"You'd truly rather die than live a life with me?"**

After a few seconds, Sofia nodded.

Without another word, Anthony walked over to lock the bedroom door before going into the bathroom. He bent over the tub and started to drain the pink water. As the container gradually emptied, he started to pick up the pieces of the broken glass.

Being quiet had always been something he was good at, but as he cleaned up the mess, there was no stopping the horrid cries of agony from leaving him. And after a bit of time had passed, he could've sworn he heard Sofia join in from the bedroom.

**00000000000**

_**Let me know what you think.**_


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